Transformers Prime: Operation 000
by Ilikepieguy123
Summary: Takes place a couple weeks after Transformers: Prime Orion Pax. MECH has been quiet recently and that means that they're planning something big. When Operation 000 is revealed, Jack's life will never be the same again. The Autobots are going to have to do everything in their power to stop MECH's plans, but can they save Jack too?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Was that really necessary?" asked a 16 year old boy as he zoomed down the street on his blue motorcycle.

"I thought it was" replied a feminine voice.

"Arcee, all he was going to do was check out your motorcycle form. You didn't have to cover him in smoke and zoom off", the boy chuckled.

"Oh come on Jack, he's not going to die from the smoke. Besides, I didn't want his greasy hands touching me", answered Arcee.

The two shared a laugh. A man had seen Jack's motorcycle and had asked if he could take a look. Jack didn't have a problem with it but Arcee had different thoughts.

"Hey I'm trying to have a good public image" Jack stated, "It looks weird when you zoom off like that."

"You mean weird as in owning a talking motorcycle and spending all your free time with giant alien robots from another planet in an old missile silo?" Arcee said as if mocking him. "If you think that's normal, I'd love to see weird."

Arcee's statement made Jack smile. She was right; his life is definitely not normal. Ever since he met the Arcee and the rest of Team Prime, nothing surprises him now. In fact, just a couple weeks ago, he traveled to the planet Cybertron in order to restore Optimus' memories using an ancient key he was entrusted with.

Jack thought back to when he first saw Arcee in the parking lot of KO Burger. If it hadn't been for that fateful day, he would have been just a normal teenager living a normal life. Instead, he made new friends and has become really close with Arcee. She was his guardian, best friend, partner, and maybe something else but he kept that to himself.

The pair rode off the road and straight into a mountain. Except instead of crashing, a secret door shifted and revealed the base entrance. They kept going until they reached the command center where everyone was located.

First there was Bulkhead; Team Prime's "big man" who has a specialty in breaking things. He is known as a wrecker and transforms into an HUV. Next to him stood a Japanese girl, rocking it out on her guitar. Miko was never able to sit still and was the loudest of the group. Playing video games sat Raf, a 12 year old genius who was quiet most of the time. Behind him was Bumblebee cheering him on. Bumblebee was the team scout and had a personality that resembled a child. He turns into a yellow and black Urbana 500. Working on the control panel was the team medic, Ratchet. Not the happiest guy around but secretly he cared for everyone, he just didn't show it.

"Miko would you turn that thing off!" yelled Ratchet, "its destroying my audio processors!"

Miko gave him a glare. "Fine! But only because I'm tired."

Optimus Prime stood watching everyone. He was the team leader and the last of the Primes. He turns into a red and blue truck and with the Matrix of Leadership restored back to him; Optimus is a force to be reckoned with.

"Hello Jack. How are you today?" he asked when they rode in.

"I'm fine Optimus. Better than fine actually, without the decepticons and MECH to ruin our day, life is finally looking up" replied Jack as he got off Arcee letting her transform to her Autobot form. She was the smallest of Team Prime but was nowhere near the weakest. Her speed, agility, stealth, and determination earned her the rightful place as second-in-command.

"Jack's right, things have been really quiet with MECH. I feel as though they're up to something" stated the two-wheeler. She smiled down to Jack. "Then again, I'm not complaining."

Just then, an alarm went off in the base. "Prime!" yelled agent Fowler's voice. Agent Fowler is a trusted ally who serves as the team's liaison with the government. "Reports indicate a government bade being attacked by MECH."

"You guys had to jinx it" Bulkhead said.

"Agent Fowler, evacuate all personal immediately and Ratchet, set co-ordinates for the base. Autobots roll out!" With that, Optimus, followed by Arcee, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee transformed and drove into the swirling green vortex.

Arriving on the scene, the Autobots noticed the MECH helicopters firing missiles towards the base. There was fire everywhere and blown up vehicles littering the ground as soldiers ran for cover.

"Autobots, protect the soldiers. We will not allow any casualties" Optimus commanded as Team Prime shot back at the helicopters.

Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead picked up stragglers while Optimus provided cover fire. Suddenly a missile hit one of the watch towers, destroying its support and causing it to fall towards a dozen soldiers taking cover.

"Bulkhead!" yelled Optimus, motioning towards the falling tower.

"On it boss!" replied Bulkhead as he caught the tower just before it crushed the soldiers. Apparently the tower was heavier than it looked and put a lot of strain on Bulkhead's arms.

Optimus quickly grabbed the soldiers and rolled out of the way as Bulkhead was forced to drop the tower. When the dust cleared, the Autobots looked up to see MECH flying away. There had been no casualties but MECH had gotten what they wanted.

...

"Sir, extraction was a success" yelled a MECH officer into his radio. "The Autobots had arrived but team 2 was able to retrieve the substance."

On the other end was Silas, watching a group of MECH scientist working in the lab. The MECH leader smirked after hearing the message. "Good" he said, "return back to base so we can move onto Phase 2 of operation 000."

"Yes sir! Over and out!" the officer replied.

Silas turned back to the window overlooking the scientists. "Operation 000 will be a success" Silas said to himself. "All we need is our test subject." The MECH leader couldn't help but grin at what he was planning for the future.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Prime! What in the name of Uncle Sam's hill was that?!" Agent Fowler looked furious as he walked out of the elevator. "You 'bots were supposed to stop MECH, not prance around like ballerinas!"

The Autobots had just returned from their failed mission. Each of them with a little disappointment on their faces. Optimum was the only one not fazed by the recent event.

"Agent Fowler" he started, "you of all people know my conditions. I will not allow any humans to be harmed on our missions. While we did not stop MECH from retrieving their objective, we saved many lives."

"It is not my position to interfere but do we know exactly what MECH took from the government base?" Ratchet interfered. Agent Fowler looked at him with a frown.

"We do... but you 'bots aren't going to like it" Agent Fowler stated. "The base MECH just raided is a top secret government research facility. Our scientists were studying the effects of different chemical mixtures. Somehow, MECH found out about the operation and took... about a ton of raw, dark energon."

The entire base fell silent, all eyes and optics staring at Agent Fowler. Ratchet seemed to have the worst reaction; his optics widened as his mouth hung open, unable to process what he just heard from the agent. Suddenly, he snapped.

"THEY TOOK WHAT!" Ratchet yelled at Agent Fowler, startling everyone and making Fowler flinch. "WHAT WERE YOU DOING WITH DARK ENERGON?! WHERE DID YOU GET IT?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF HOW DANGEROUS THAT SUBSTANCE CAN BE?!" Ratchet head looked as though it was about to pop off.

"You must calm down old friend" Optimus said to the medic. "While we must keep our emotions in check, I do believe we need an explanation as to why the government was in possession of dark energon."

"Well, after the whole Unicron is our Earth's core situation, our radars picked up a strong source of energy near an erupted volcano" Agent Fowler explained. "The military brought some to the research facility to do some testing until MECH showed up. The rest is history. I was not informed of what we would do with it, but at the time, all we were doing was running some tests."

"Do we know what MECH might use the dark energon for?" questioned the Autobot leader.

"No. MECH has been keeping a low profile lately so it's anyone's guess to what they might be plotting"

"Very well. Because we have no other information available, we cannot do anything until MECH makes a move" Optimus stated. "Autobots, you are dismissed for the evening. Ratchet and I will remain here monitoring the radars. We will contact you if we have any news."

"Sweet!" exclaimed Miko, "Bulk, let's go dune bashing before it gets dark!"

"Alright Miko, hop in." The wrecker transformed into his vehicle mode and the two of them sped out of the base.

A couple beeps were heard from Bumblebee as he carefully picked up Raf in his hands.

"Ok you're on!" said the little boy. The scout carried him to the couch where they began playing video games on the TV screen.

"So partner," the female Autobot looked down at Jack. "What are we going to do for the rest of the evening?"

"I don't know Arcee. It's been a while since we had this much spare time. Your rather on patrol or I'm working a shift at the KO Burger" Jack answered. "How about we get something to eat, then we figure out what to do?"

Arcee laughed. "Don't you mean let's get _you_ something to eat?" The female transformed into a motorcycle and started her engines. "Let's go partner."

The pair sped out of the base heading for the nearest restaurant. Jack was half thinking about MECH; wondering what they would do with all that dark energon, while the other half of him was excited for tonight. He and Arcee hadn't had time to relax in a while and he always liked having her around. She always made him smile and they could talk just about anything. Out of nowhere, an idea popped into his head.

After picking up some food at a local burger joint, he and Arcee started towards the outskirts of the town. Arcee had no idea of where they were going but Jack seemed to know what he was doing so she listened.

"Where are we going Jack?" the motorcycle asked.

"You'll see, it's a surprise" the teen responded. "Take a left here."

Arcee swerved off the road and headed up a hill. Once she reached the top, Jack got off as she transformed back into her bipedal form. There were a couple rocks lying around and a big tree to the left. She peered towards the direction Jack was staring and couldn't help but look in awe.

"Wow" Arcee said in an amazed tone. "It's beautiful."

The two looked out at the open area. An outstanding view of the night sky was given from their point of view. The clouds moved across the sky like pain strokes. The white puffs moved so elegantly, a wave of calmness took over Arcee. The moon shone brightly in the night as stars started to appear in the darkness. The hill also gave a magnificent view of the vast desert. The shadows of tall mountains could be seen in the distance as a cool breeze tickled her metal skin. They were far enough from the town so that no sounds could be heard except the beauty of nature.

Jack looked up to see his partner stare out to the night sky. A happy smile was on her face and he couldn't help but smile as well. The glow from the moon shone on the Cybertronian, making her optics sparkle and her body to look curvier.

"I come here a lot in my spare time" Jack said. Arcee looked down at him, making his heart beat increasingly fast at her beauty. "It's where I can think and where I can be alone, away from all the distractions and worries. I know how much you like nature so I thought you might like this spot." He moved over to a spot underneath the large tree and lay down in the soft grass. A moment later, Arcee joined him.

"I love it" she said. Not saying another word, just staring out into the night.

Jack couldn't help but stare at Arcee and notice how beautiful she really is. Her long slender legs and her elegant curves made her look increasingly attractive. The blue on her armour glimmered in the night and her face looked so calm and happy.

Arcee looked over to her left a saw that Jack was staring at her. She met his eyes with her optics and they both stared at each other. She started to feel warm and her spark was pulsing at a faster rate.

"Thank you Jack, this is wonderful" she said to him. He smiled back making her feel even warmer.

The pair turned back to the night sky and watched as the moon rose and the stars appeared.

...

The next morning, Jack woke up with a groan. It was a Saturday but he had a shift at the KO Burger. Somebody fell ill so he had to fill in today. His phone buzzed, notifying him that he had a new message. It was only Arcee telling him she had to go back to base to help out with an energon scouting mission.

Slowly but surely, Jack made his way to the bathroom, hoping into the shower. He thought back to yesterday night and couldn't help but smile. He and Arcee spent hours together looking into the night sky. He couldn't help but feel there was some sort of attraction between them. They were closer then they have ever been and it made Jack feel warm inside. _Is Arcee becoming a crush?_ He thought to himself. _While it's true that she makes me happy just by being together, does that mean I like her? Is it possible for a human to fall for a Cybertronian?_

Jack decided to put the thoughts aside as he got ready for work. Because his mom had an emergency at the hospital and Arcee was on a mission, Jack had to take his bike. _It's no Arcee_ , he thought to himself, _but it'll get the job done_. He pedalled fast to the KO Burger. It wasn't too far of a bike so he managed to get there without breaking a sweat.

While he locked up his bike, he was surprised to see his boss walk towards him carrying a stuffed bag. Mr. Cowell wasn't the nicest guy around and was also part of the reason Jack hated his job. The man could be really nasty sometimes.

"Jack! I need you to deliver this order to this address pronto!" Mr. Cowell handed him the bag along with a slip of paper.

"But Mr. Cowell, we don't deliver..." Jack started.

"We do when the customer pays triple the price!" his boss interrupted.

Jack really didn't feel like delivering, especially because he was on his bike today and knew that it would be a struggle. "Why not get Jess or Bryan? They have cars and can deliver them much faster than I can."

"Do you want to lose your paycheck Jack?!" The teen shook his head. "Then you better deliver these right now! Don't come back until those have been dropped off!" With that, he walked back into the KO Burger.

Jack sighed and looked down at the slip of paper.

 _Simon Tornello_

 _194 Hinter Street, Jasper, NV_

He sighed again and started heading towards the address. After 10 minutes of biking, he reached Hinter Street. It was a quiet and dark road near the outside of town. _Never been here before_ , Jack thought. _Kinda sketchy if you ask me_. He hooked his bike up to a pole and started down the street.

 _...184,...186,...188,...190,...192,...19-wait what?_

Jack looked at the spot where the supposed 194 house should be... except there wasn't a 194 house. He looked across the street to see if the house was on the other side but the last house was 193.

 _What the heck?_ Jack was very confused. He looked back down at the slip of paper. _Am I on the wrong street?_ He looked back at the sign which read "Hinter Street".

Jack was too busy re-reading the slip of paper in his hands to notice a group of men surround him from behind. All of them wore camouflage clothes while holding a semi-automatic assault rifle. The word MECH was plastered on each sleeve in clear, white words.

Finally Jack heard footsteps behind him. He turned around just in time to see the armed men behind him. Before he could say anything, one of them hit him in the head with the butt-end of his gun, knocking him unconscious.

The man who knocked him out took off his mask and grinned.

"Hello Jack" Silas said, "good to see you again."

 **Hey guys, hope you like the story so far. I'll be updating it every day do so be sure to follow me and the story. Trust me when I say, it's only going to get better. Please do leave a review if you haven't already. I would love to get some feedback from you guys to see what I could improve on. Other than that have a great day and I'll see you tomorrow with Chapter 3.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Arcee hold still while I check for any other damages!"

"Look Ratchet, I'm fine. If you want to check on someone, go and check on Bee. He probably took the blunt of the explosion."

Arcee was strapped to a berth in the medical center as Ratchet scanned her for any circuit damage. Although she was pissed at how the energon scouting mission went, her mind was somewhere else. Arcee was thinking about yesterday night; more specifically about Jack. She couldn't put her finger around it but recently, whenever she was with him, she felt warm inside. At first she thought something was wrong with her so she asked Ratchet for a check-up. The doctor didn't see anything wrong so she chose to ignore it. The feeling came back to her the whole time she was with Jack yesterday night. Gazing up at the stars with him felt nice, but it was the comfort of Jack's presence that warmed her spark. Maybe she was becoming more intimate with him.

 _That's not possible though_ , Arcee thought to herself, _Jack is my closest friend and partner; Nothing more. Although, he is so charming and I love being around him...NO ARCEE. YOU CAN'T THINK LIKE THIS. If Jack finds out you have feelings for him, your relationship is as good as dead. You are his guardian and friend. Nothing more, nothing less._

"Alright Arcee your free to go" Ratchet said as he unbuckled Arcee's straps. "When you wake up from stasis tomorrow, you should be as good as new. Although, I advise no more fighting today."

"Will do doc" Arcee quipped as she quickly left the medical center. She walked into the control room just as a giant ball of metal flew through the air. Bulkhead caught it between his hands, the force of the throw pushing him back a bit.

"Good throw Jackie" the wrecker chuckled "but try catching this!" Bulked lobbed the giant metal ball across the room towards Wheeljack. The bot caught it but was knocked clean off his feet from the force of the throw, crashing into a table holding some of Ratchet's equipment.

The medic heard something break in the control room, quickly running over, just in time to see Wheeljack stand up with a giant metal ball in his hands, crushing his equipment that once resided on the table.

"Bulkhead! Wheeljack! I needed that!" Ratchet yelled.

"Sorry doc" Wheeljack responded as he threw the ball back at Bulkhead.

Arcee chuckled to herself. Watching Bulkhead and Wheeljack piss off Ratchet like that always lightens the mood. Although she was happy to see Wheeljack rejoin Team Prime for the time being, she didn't like his entrance.

(Flashback to the energon scouting mission)

Team Prime was stationed behind a coupe rocks, overlooking the Vehicons collecting energon from the energon mine.

"I say we jump them now before they call in reinforcements" Bulkhead whispered, Bumblebee beeping in agreement.

"Patience Bulkhead, a full force attack may not be best in this situation" Optimus said with authority. The leader scanned the area looking where the best spot to attack would be. He spotted to separate paths, leading down to the open mine, perfect for a surprise attack. "Bulkhead, Bumblebee, you two will attack from the right side. Draw their fire but do not engage. Meanwhile, Arcee and I will flank them using the path on the left. We will wait until they are distracted, and then attack from behind."

The four of them nodded to each other, making their way to the paths. Before Bulkhead and Bumblebee got the Vehicons' attention, a white car with green and red stripes drove off the cliff overlooking the energon mine, transforming in mid-air, and landing in front of the Vehicons. The Decepticons readied their blasted, all of them aiming at the smirking Autobot.

"Wow wow, guys" Wheeljack held his hands up. "Not trying to look for any trouble. I'm only here to deliver some gifts." Wheeljack put his hands behind his back before throwing a dozen grenades at the mine and running into a sprint, dodging the Vehicons' blaster fire. While running for the nearest exit, Wheeljack ran into Optimus and Arcee who immediately aimed their blasters at him.

"Wow friendly" Wheeljack said with his hands up once more, "although it would probably a good idea to run the other way; the joints about to blow!"

Before Optimus could open his mouth, a huge explosion rocked the ground, causing the Autobots to sprint to safety. The explosion was so big that even from a mile away you could see the giant blue cloud erupting from the mine.

After the dust settled, the Autobots regrouped back where they first scouted out the area, this time joined by Wheeljack. All of them had scorch marks and burns from the explosion but no real injuries.

"Jackie!" Bulkhead greeted his fellow wrecker with a big hug, "I'm guessing that explosion was your doing?"

"Who else would do that?" Wheeljack responded, the two of them sharing a laugh as Arcee and Bumblebee looked at the two with a frown.

(Flashback over)

 _The mission definitely could have gone better_ , Arcee thought.

"Optimus" the two-wheeler getting the attention of her leader, "I'm going to go pick Jack up from work. It's been 2 hours so his shift is over soon."

Optimus gave her a nod as she transformed into the motorcycle, activated her Sadie hologram and speeded out of the base.

Once she arrived at the KO Burger, Arcee put up her kickstand and de-activated Sadie, waiting for Jack to come out. She parked in her usual spot giving her a good view of the drive-thru window. Arcee looked up, expecting to see Jack giving out the last order before taking off the uniform. Instead she sees a blond hair girl talking on the phone while handing out the order.

 _Where's Jack?_ Arcee thought. _He should be out here by now_.

Arcee thought maybe June picked him up and decided to give her a call, only to hear that she has been at the hospital this whole morning. The two-wheeler began to feel worried. Jack is not the type to want to spend extra time at the KO Burger. She then realized that Jack's bike wasn't here.

 _He must have biked home by now._ Quickly, Arcee activated Sadie and drove off towards the Darby household. Getting there, she noticed that the garage door was wide open and there was no sign of Jack or his bike. Fearing the worst, Arcee quickly gave June another call.

"June I think you should head over to the KO Burger. Jack didn't come out for me to pick him up and he didn't come home either." The two-wheeler had a worried tone that didn't go unnoticed by June.

"Arcee, I'll meet you at the KO Burger in 5 minutes" the mother said, "there's no need to worry, Jack is fine." The two of them ended the call as June began to doubt what she just said.

...

"Ughh my head"

Jack woke up slowly, still dazed by the knock out. His head pounded and tried to sit up, only to be restrained by the straps around his limbs. Suddenly he remembered what happened; the KO Burger delivery, the fake address and the men surrounding him before he was knocked unconscious.

"What the heck? Where am I?"

"Hello Jack, good to see you awake finally." A familiar voice said. He was in a dark room and Jack's eyes haven't adjusted to the darkness yet.

After a couple moments, Jack could see a little better. He took in his surroundings; he was in a dark room with doctor equipment lying on a metal table to his right, strange black substances were bubbling to his left and standing in front of him was none other than Silas, smirking and the teen.

"Silas," Jack grit his teeth, "what do you want? If you're trying to get information about the Autobots, I'll never tell!"

"Relax Jack," the maniac responded, "we don't want any information. We want you."

"What could I possibly do for you?" asked Jack. He couldn't believe this was happening. He should be at home, relaxing and talking with Arcee. Not here being strapped down by some power hungry madman.

"You should be thankful Jack," Silas started, "you have been chosen to be Operation 000's test subject. Many of my soldiers would be honored with the chance to be... augmented."

"Augmented, what do you mean?" Curiosity was getting the better of him.

"Well, a couple weeks ago, the Earth went through a very strange behaviour. We couldn't figure out what was causing all those natural disasters, many people thought it was the end of the world. That's when we picked up a strong energy source erupting from a volcano. When we arrived, we found a land full of what you call "dark energon". After taking some samples and running some tests, we made a discovery. Dark energon is a living chemical compound, capable of increasing physical abilities. We learned of this when Megatron used its power to take down Optimus Prime."

Jack thought back to that event. Optimus was in a heated battle with Megatron, almost ending it, until the volcano erupted, giving Megatron the upper edge and defeating Optimus. Luckily, the other Autobots were able to rescue Optimus before he was killed.

Silas interrupted his thoughts as he continued. "This is how Operation 000 was created. Using MECH's technologies and information, we were able to create a stable chemical mixture we call 000. This chemical will give its user enhanced physical abilities, creating the ultimate MECH soldier. Although, we were only able to make enough for 1 person, I thought, who better to use it on but my old friend, Jack Darby."

It suddenly dawned on him. The place he is in is an operation room and _he_ was the test subject. Things weren't looking good for him.

"I'll never work for you! The Autobots will save me and wipe that smirk right off your face!" Jack snarled.

"Goodbye Jack." Silas said while walking away. "When Operation 000 is complete, you will be a completely changed person.

Jack watched as Silas left through the double doors, allowing a group of MECH scientists pushing in the rest of their supplies followed by the MECH surgeon.

"No please" Jack begged looking straight at the surgeon, "this is wrong. I'm just a kid! Please you can stop this!"

The surgeon looked at Jack before letting out a little laugh. He reached over to his set of tools, revealing a very sharp knife and a big injection needle with some of the black substance inside. Jack's eyes widened at the deadly equipment. The only thought that came to his mind was Arcee and how much he wanted to be with her, wrapped inside of her arms.

The man walked over to Jack looking straight into his eyes.

"This... is going to hurt. And it's going to hurt a lot."

The surgeon pulled on his mask and lowered the knife.

Moments later, bloodshot screams of pain could be heard throughout the MECH facility.

...

"What do you mean you sent him on a delivery?!" June was at the KO Burger talking with the manager. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Look," Mr. Cowell started, "I sent him to deliver some food to a customer over 2 hours ago. If Jack wants to ditch work, that's fine by me! When you see him, tell him HE'S FIRED!"

"Since when does this dump deliver?" June asked.

"Since the customers started paying triple for what they're buying!" Mr. Cowell answered as he walked off.

"I'll have you know, I know people who work for the government!" June yelled at the manager, "I'm going to have this place shut down in a matter of days!" The woman stormed off through the door, slamming it so hard the glass shattered.

She walked over to the parked Arcee in vehicle mode, talking over the com-link with Optimus.

"Yes,...yes,...he's missing Optimus!..." Arcee noticed June walking over with a worried face. "...hold on Optimus..." Her front wheel turned to face June. "Anything?"

June quickly explained to Arcee how the manager had sent him on a delivery but Jack never came back. She showed Arcee the address he was sent to.

"Optimus I'm sending an address now" Arcee scanned the paper with her headlights. "...yes...we'll meet you there." She turned back to June. "Quick June, hop on!"

June rapidly mounted Arcee as the two women zoomed to the address Jack went to. Nearing the outskirts of the town, Arcee noticed multiple old houses that were on its last legs. The area was definitely the older part of Jasper and needed reconstruction soon.

June gasped as she saw Jack's bike locked up against a pole. Arcee quickly turned onto the road known as Hinter Street as she slowed down her speed so June could look at the house numbers.

"184,...186,...188,...190,...192,...T-there's no 194!" June exclaimed.

Arcee reached the end of the road just as a green vortex appeared, revealing a truck, 2 sports cars, an HUV, and an ambulance. All the vehicles stopped as the vortex closed and looked at the spot where the supposed 194 house should be.

Arcee and June quickly filled them in on what they were missing.

Bumblebee let out a couple beeps turning towards Optimus.

"You are right Bumblebee, Jack must have came down this very road. Ratchet, do you think you can scan the area for any human DNA?"

Ratchet's headlights immediately emitted a dark blue light, scanning the side walk and road. "My scans indicate Jack was here exactly 1 hour and 30 minutes ago" the medic stated.

Suddenly Ratchet gasped, letting everyone know that he found something. "Based on my scans, over a dozen men surrounded Jack. Following his DNA trail it leads to the end of the road where... they all just stop."

Arcee felt like someone just dropped a planet on her head. She couldn't believe Jack, her partner, was gone, taken by a group of men. A wave of emotions came over her; sadness, fear, anger. It was her fault Jack has disappeared. Now, she might never see him again. She won't ever have the chance to tell him how much he means to her.

Optimus broke the silence. "Ratchet, are any of the men's DNA signatures recognizable through our database?"

Ratchet quickly crossed linked the DNA scans with the DNA database the Autobots owned. Another gasp came from the ambulance.

"Yes. The one who was closest to Jack's position."

"Silas."

 **Hey guys. Once again, hope you enjoyed this chapter of Transformers Prime: Operation 000. Please leave a review and let me know how you think about the story so far. Other than that, have a great day.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Sorry guys, the beginning of this chapter is kinda slow and was really painful for me to write. Nonetheless I hope you still enjoy it and the action scene near the end.**

No one said a word as they re-entered the Autobot base. Ratchet had tried to find a trail of where MECH may have taken Jack, but his scanners couldn't pick up a signal. Optimus decided to call Agent Fowler, informing him of the recent events, hoping to gain some information on MECH's whereabouts. The government agent said he'd contact his superiors but couldn't promise anything. Everyone was worried about Jack, although some had different emotions.

June was currently in the medical room, crying into her palms and Ratchet was trying to calm her down.

"Mrs. Darby, I assure you we will find Jack. We are doing everything in our power to find MECH and retrieve Jack." The medic said in a gentle tone. It seemed like his words only made it worst as the mother started to cry harder.

"Primus," Ratchet cursed quietly, "what did I do to deserve this?"

Meanwhile in the command room, a heated argument started to arise.

"So what?! We're just going to sit here on our tailpipes and let MECH do whatever they want to Jack?!" The green wrecker smashed his fists together, showing how furious he was. Although Jack wasn't his partner, Bulkhead cared deeply for the kid. He reminded him of Optimus and why he chose to leave the Wreckers to join Team Prime. Jack had the ability to be something greater, but chose to remain humble about it. Secretly, Bulkhead admired him for this trait and showed a lot of respect towards him.

Bumblebee let out a couple angry beeps as he wasn't taking this situation too well either. The scout glared at Bulkhead and pointed two fingers at him. Ratchet returned to the command center to see what was going on.

"Right, like your one to talk" Bulkhead sneered back, "last time I checked, scouts don't ever have idea, at least not good ones anyways." The wrecker took a step forward a two-handed Bumblebee's chest, pushing him back.

"Bulk calm down" Wheeljack said as he lowered Bulkhead's arms and stepped between the two.

Bumblebee narrowed his optics and began beeping angrily.

This time Ratchet stepped forward, holding the angry scout back. "Bumblebee! We do not use that kind of language!"

Bumblebee knocked Ratchets hands away as Bulkhead got pasted Wheeljack. The two angry 'bots met in the middle, staring at each other with narrowed optics.

"Enough!" Optimus ordered startling the two. "Arguing with one another is not going to help us find Jack. All of us are worried about him and we cannot afford to let our emotions get the better of us."

The two 'bots looked at each other sheepishly.

"Your right Optimus, sorry Bee", the green wrecker apologized. Bumblebee responded with a couple beeps as well.

Optimus looked at the two and nodded. He too was worried about Jack and what MECH might do to him. He only hoped that the person he entrusted the key to Vector Sigma with is strong enough to withstand their torture. He looked at the faces around the room and saw everyone hoping the same thing. Suddenly, Optimus realized that Arcee wasn't in the room. He knew she was not taking the situation very well since she had just lost two partners and maybe a third.

The Autobot leader slowly made his way over to Arcee's quarters where she no doubt was hiding. Noticing that it was locked, he knocked on the door, awaiting a response.

"Please" came a small voice, "leave me alone."

"Arcee, it's Optimus" the leader stated, "May I have a word with you?"

After a moment of silence from both ends, the sound of a click could be heard. Optimus opened the unlocked door, revealing Arcee lying against her berth with the lights off. The two-wheeler had her legs curled up against her chest with her head in her arms, not looking up at her visitor. The poor female was sobering as energon tears slowly ran down her arm, dripping onto the floor. Rarely does his second-in-command show this side of her, nonetheless to see her crying was never heard of before. Although, Optimus knew that on the outside, Arcee is a ruthless warrior, but on the inside, she is just a little girl.

"Arcee," Optimus began, "I understand how you feel at this moment. We are all under the stress of finding Jack and we are doing everything we can. I know you blame yourself for what happened to Tailgate and Cliffjumper, as well as our current situation. It is not your fault Arcee but the doing of others."

"But it is Optimus!" Arcee cried. More tears started to fall from her optics. "If I was with Jack when he went to make his delivery, nothing would have happened to him! Maybe he still be with us right now and not with MECH. Primus knows what they are doing to him right now and it's my fault! I'm his guardian and his partner! I'm a failure!"

It pained Optimus to see her like this. The death of Tailgate made her become self-centered and angry. She blocked everyone out from her life and became a shadow of the darkness. When Cliffjumper was terminated, it only made her worst. But when she met Jack, everything started to change. The boy's determination to get through to her allowed Arcee to open herself up again. Optimus could see that she made him happy, as he did for her. It was as if fate had brought the two together. Now that Jack has been taken by MECH, it seems like Arcee has fallen apart. She was not like this after Tailgate and Cliffjumper, and Optimus can see it in her optics that she has nothing left.

"Nothing could have prepared us for this predicament. If you were with Jack, perhaps you would have also been taken by MECH. No one is able to tell the future Arcee, and you should not be taking the blame. We will find Jack and rescue him from MECH. Right now, Jack needs his partner to be strong. He needs someone willing to do everything she can to help him and not someone who dwells in the past. Arcee, you must be strong. For the team, and for Jack."

Arcee got up slowly and gave Optimus a hug, crying into his shoulder.

"I want... him back... Optimus" the female said between her sobs.

"You two have a strong connection" Optimus stated. Arcee slightly nodded her head. "We will get him back Arcee, you have my word."

Optimus gently wrapped his arms around his second-in-command, comforting her as she continued to cry.

...

A being stood in the middle of a dark, circular room; his hands ready to react as soon as he was given the command. The man was 5'8", had a military cut that shortened his black hair, and looked to be between the ages of 16 and 20. He wore a mask that covered most of his face except his eyes, showing off his dark purple, almost black, colored pupils. Large dark purple veins flowed down his arms as his black, compression tank top allowed him to flex with ease. The word "MECH" could be seen near the top of his left chest. He wore a pair of black pants, held up by a dark brown belt around his waist; his boots covering the bottom of the pants. A sheath hidden behind him was strapped around his right shoulder and under his left arm, concealing the man's favorite weapon; a sharp edge katana. Inside a holder connected to the left side of his belt held the man's alternative weapon; a deadly 50 caliber Desert Eagle. He had only been taught 2 things in his life; to complete his tasks, and to kill.

"Agent 000, are you ready for your assessment?" came a voice that echoed throughout the dark room.

Agent 000 merely nodded and got into a stance, preparing to draw his weapons.

All of a sudden, a dim light lightened the room and revealed over 50 prisoners standing against the circular walls, each with an armed pistol pointing at Agent 000. All these prisoners have once served with the military, only to be captured by MECH and tortured for information. They have all been told that if they succeed in killing the man in the middle of the room when the lights were turned on, they would be granted their freedom. All the prisoners have been given extensive training during their time with the army and accepted the chance to be freed immediately. Now all of them stood with their guns pointed at the target, some of them laughing and saying that this was too easy. Little did they know that they would be very, very wrong.

After a moment of silence, the voice returned with one word.

"Commence."

*(Warning: Somewhat gruesome and disturbing scenes take place in the following paragraphs)*

Agent 000 immediately drew his katana with his left hand while removing the Desert Eagle with his left. Bullets began to be fired from all directions as Agent 000 dashed for the nearest prisoner, showing incredible agility and speed. The prisoner saw Agent 000 coming for him as he quickly aimed the pistol at him. When he fired, Agent 000 merely sliced the bullet in 2 before impaling the prisoner with his katana. He tossed the dead body at another group as he went from prisoner to prisoner, slicing their bodies into pieces. Bullets ricocheted off the walls, killing multiple prisoners as others became victim of Agent 000's katana. After killing almost of quarter of the prisoners, Agent 000 threw the katana towards the opposite wall, impaling a prisoner in the head, instantly killing him. Agent 000 grabbed the nearest prisoner, disarming him and using the body as a human shield while shooting the Desert Eagle from behind, blowing the heads off some. The man threw the limp body while jumping over 10 feet in the air, shooting off the rest of his ammo before throwing the gun with suck force, it punctured a man's face. Quickly pulling his katana out from the dead body, Agent 000 whipped the sword like a boomerang, beheading over a dozen prisoners as he dodged more bullets fired his way. Retrieving his sword, Agent 000 finished off the rest of the prisoners while splitting incoming bullets in two. The final prisoner backed up against the wall as he realized he was the last one standing. Seeing Agent 000 run directly at him, the prisoner lifted his pistol. Before he let off a shot, Agent 000 sliced the prisoner and the pistol in half, allowing both halves of the surprised prisoner to fall.

The entire bloodshed took place in mere 4 minutes. Agent 000 put his bloodied katana back into its sheath as he walked to retrieve his Desert Eagle. The entire room was filled with blood and different body parts. Not one prisoner was intact or recognizable.

Looking from a glass window, Silas as well as other MECH officials looked in shock and awe. Some could not believe the massacre that took place while others were grinning from ear to ear.

"Agent 000," Silas said into the microphone, "you have completed the assessment. You are now dismissed."

Agent 000 looked up and nodded as he punched the wall, destroying the metal as he exited through the hidden door.

"Gentlemen", Silas turned around, "I believe Operation 000 has been a success."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Arcee sat up on her berth, staring at the wall across the room. The sun shone through the small glass window indicating a beautiful Sunday morning, although, Arcee didn't notice. She didn't care. She didn't care about how she broke her tradition of watching he sun rise, she didn't care whether or not it was a nice day outside, she only cared about Jack. The two-wheeler couldn't help but think about him; his eyes that revealed his emotions, his black hair that flapped in the wind, his kind smile that made Arcee tingle on the inside.

"Oh, Jack..." Arcee sighed, holding back tears. "I wish you were here, with us, with me."

A knock on the door snapped her out of her thoughts. Gentle beeps could be heard from the other side as Arcee got up.

"Alright Bee, I'll be there in a moment" Arcee responded.

She headed towards the door when she spotted a picture frame on her desk. The frame contained a picture of Team Prime along with all their allies, everyone with big smiles on their face. Picking it up, Arcee looked at the memory, gently rubbing her alloy thumb against the spot where her human partner was smiling.

"I'm so sorry Jack," she said in a whisper. Gently placing the picture frame down, she headed to the command center where Ratchet had picked up something on his radar.

...

Agent 000 walked down the MECH hallway towards the conference room. Passing by other MECH soldiers, he couldn't help but notice the strange reactions they had when they saw him. While some of them nodded nervously as they passed by, others hurried their pace, trying to get as far away from him as possible. Agent 000 smirked, he liked being feared. It meant that others looked to him as someone with a higher status, even though he held the same rank as any field agent. Even his commanding officers took a step back when he got near.

 _Weaklings_ , he thought to himself, _only the weak showed signs of fear. When time comes, the strong will rise and the weak will fall_.

Agent 000 pushed through the door of the conference room, looking around and taking in his surroundings. The room was moderately sized, monitors placed all around the four walls. In the middle was a long table with chair on every side. Silas sat at the head of the table, looking over files that were placed in front of him. Looking up, he saw Agent 000 and motioned for him to take a seat.

"Good morning Agent 000, how are you today?" Silas asked, obviously out of politeness and not out of curiosity.

"I'm fine" Agent 000 answered in a low tone. Not wanting to waste time talking, he jumped straight to the point. "You wanted to brief me for my next assignment?"

Silas nodded in response. "Your recent assessment showed our organization how well you can perform in the field." The MECH leader looked over to a monitor where the video of Agent 000 brutally killing the prisoners was shown.

"We have decided to give you your first mission. As you have been told, you used to be one of MECH's most prized soldiers. During an attack against a Russian facility, you were shot multiple times before a grenade went off, blowing you back in the explosion. MECH agents recovered your body and quickly put you on life support. You were on the edge of death and not wanting to lose someone as valuable as you are, we were forced to put you through an operation called Operation 000. Mixing the chemical compounds of dark energon and other substances, we were able to create a substance that could save you as well as give you strengths men dream of having." Silas started.

"You, Agent 000, are the result of Operation 000. A man with enhanced speed, agility, strengths and reflexes; the perfect agent. MECH wants to have an army of people like you. People who have gone through Operation 000 and survive. When we have enough soldiers, you will command the new division of enhanced agents and MECH will be unstoppable. Unfortunately, we do not possess enough dark energon to continue our operation, which is why we enlisted you for this mission."

Silas handed Agent 000 a file with many documents inside.

"For this mission, you will lead a team of MECH sol-"

Agent 000 cut him off. "I work alone."

Team? Division? These words meant nothing to him. _When in the field, you can only rely on yourself to get the job done,_ Agent 000 said to himself mentally. _Others are liabilities and only get in the way_.

Silas smirked. "I thought you might say that" he said while taking the file back and pushing forward a new one. "You will infiltrate the Pentagon and access the government's data base, uploading their information on dark energon to our network. This is an undercover mission."

Agent 000 looked over the documents and smiled to himself.

"This'll be fun" Agent 000 said, "get me a chopper and I'll leave at twelve hundred hours."

...

"Ratchet, have we found any new information on Jack or MECH's whereabouts?" Optimus asked as he walked into the room. The Autobots have gathered in the command center on accounts of Ratchet exclaiming he found something. Miko and Raf excited to see if they have found Jack. The two kids saw Jack as an older brother and were deeply worried about his safety. The group waited patiently for Arcee to arrive before they started.

"I'm sorry Optimus but I haven't been able to find anything since the DNA trail" the medic replied.

"That is alright, old friend. We will continue searching for Jack until we find him." The prime heard footsteps as he turned towards the hallway leading to Arcee's quarters. The two-wheeler slowly walked into the command center, back slouched while rubbing her left arm. She merely looked up with a plain expression and gave Optimus a nod before putting her head down.

"Good, now that we are all here, we can start" the medic said, breaking the awkward silence. "While searching for any dark energon signals, my scanners picked up an Autobot homing beacon. I believe it belongs to an ancient relic that was once part of the Iacon Hall of Records. If I'm not mistaken, these relics were sent to different parts of the galaxy before the Decepticons were able to retrieve them."

"That is correct" Optimus stated. Before Optimus became a prime, he was a clerk who worked in the Iacon Hall of Records named Orion Pax.

Ratchet nodded and continued. "Megatron currently owns a copy of the Iacon data base and has been trying to decode the co-ordinates of the relics that have fallen on Earth. Who knows what kind of power these relics contain, therefore we cannot allow him to retrieve them. The signal came from an island off the coast of Puerto Rico near the Gulf of Mexico. I believe the Human's name for the area is the Bermuda Triangle."

"WOW!" Miko exclaimed, "You guys are going to the Bermuda Triangle? That place is like, totally awesome! Can I come? Please? Pleeeeeeeease? I want to be the first ever human to go to the island!"

"Absolutely not!" yelled Ratchet, "this is a serious mission and we cannot afford to have you getting in the way. Also what did you mean by 'first ever human'?"

Raf decided to jump. "Ratchet, the Bermuda Triangle Island is a place no human has ever been to before. Many people have tried traveling there in boats and in planes, but they disappear without a trace, never to be heard of again. The island is surrounded by harsh weather making it practically impossible to get to. Some people think extraterrestrials guard the island, making sure no one ever sets foot there."

Bumblebee let out some beeps to his human friend.

"Yeah Bee, I kind of want to see the island myself. It's like being the first one to set foot on a new planet."

Ratchet turned to Optimus. "Optimus, surely you cannot allow them to accompany you on this mission. We cannot risk the Decepticons getting their hands on the relic!"

"Oh come on doc" Wheeljack intervened, "let the kids have some fun."

Optimus stood there, thinking of a response. Looking over to Raf and Miko, Optimus saw their pleading eyes and that led to his decision.

"Raf, Miko, I will allow you to accompany us to the Bermuda Triangle" The two kids cheered and high-fived each other while Ratchet groaned. "However, you must be very cautious and stay with your Autobot guardians. Also, if we do encounter the Decepticons, Ratchet will immediately bridge both of you to safety."

Raf and Miko nodded and thanked Optimus as they jumped into Bumblebee and Bulkhead's vehicle modes. Optimus looked down at Arcee and saw the female deep in thought.

"Arcee" Optimus said, startling his second-in-command. "Will you be joining us to retrieve the relic?"

The female merely nodded before transforming into her vehicle mode. Optimus felt sorry for her; no one deserves the amount of loss Arcee has felt over the years. Ratchet set the co-ordinates into the groundbridge controls and a swirling green vortex immediately appeared.

"Autobots, roll out!" Optimus commanded as the group drove through the groundbridge.

...

Agent 000 drove up to the Pentagon in his black Honda Civic. He wore a proper military uniform with Medals of Honor, symbols and ranks pinned to his chest. A security guard saw him approaching and stopped the vehicle as he walked over to the window of the driver.

Seeing Agent 000's uniform, the security guard changed his posture. "Hello sir, may I see some identification please?"

Agent 000 reached over to the passenger seat, grabbing his identification and documents. The security guard read them over quickly and handed them back to him.

"It's good to have you back Lieutenant Fletcher, you may proceed." The security saluted him as Agent 000 drove forward. After finding a spot to park, Agent 000 made his way towards the entrance, carrying with him his documents as well as a dark brown suitcase.

Upon entry, Agent 000 went through the standard security check-up, earning many salutes as he passed by military officers.

"So Lieutenant, what brings you to the Pentagon?" asked the officer scanning his body with the metal detector.

"I have a meeting with the General about a classified matter" Agent 000 responded. As he said that he noticed another officer beginning to unlock his briefcase. Quickly he stepped forward, placing a hand on the briefcase, not allowing the officer to open it. "The contents in this briefcase are classified and can only be shown to few. Unless you have authorization from Sector B-17, you do not have the right to open this briefcase."

The officer looked at him blankly as he let go of the briefcase. "I apologize Lieutenant; I was only following basic procedure. Allow me to contact General Bryce for clearance."

The officer reached for a phone and dialed General Bryce's number. Before the real General could answer, Silas picked up, intercepting the call.

"Hello General Bryce, this is Officer Bailey calling. Lieutenant Fletcher is currently at the security check-up and has brought a briefcase. Do I have clearance to allow him to pass without checking the contents of the bag?"

"Allow him to pass immediately." Silas responded.

"Very well. Have a good day sir." Officer Bailey ended the call as he turned to face Agent 000. "You are free to pass Lieutenant, God bless."

Agent 000 nodded as he made his way into the building. He continued through the Pentagon until he reached Sector D-23. Quickly slipping into a nearby storage room, Agent 000 carefully re-programmed the camera to show the view of another camera somewhere else in the building. Knowing that he was safe, he opened up his briefcase, revealing a set of black clothes, a com-link, two sheathed knives, two silenced Beretta 96A1s, and four magazines of ammo.

After changing and gathering his equipment, Agent 000 left his briefcase in the storage room. Quietly, he began sneaking through the hallway as he made his way over to D-23's monitor room. As soon as he opened the door, the four officers in the room immediately turned around. In one motion, Agent 000 shot two of them and stabbed another. He decided to have some fun with the last one and slit his throat, watching the man attempt to cover his wound. After almost a minute of struggling, the officer stopped as his lifeless body fell to the ground. Turning to the monitors, Agent 000 immediately started to redirect the image relay like he did with the camera in the storage room. To anyone monitoring the cameras, all of D-23's images would be showing the views of other cameras in a different sector.

After taking out the cameras, Agent 000 swiftly went from room to room, killing anyone who he laid eyes on. Not before too long, the agent had killed everyone in Sector D-23 as he made his way to the communication center. Quickly, he began scanning the data base for dark energon. Once he found the file, he manually sent it to MECH's networking system. Once his work was complete, Agent 000 made his way to the storage room, changing back into his older clothes, and excited Sector D-23, locking the door behind him.

As he made his way out of the building, Officer Bailey saw him and gave him another salute. "Have a good day Lieutenant. I presume your meeting with General Bryce went as planned?"

Agent 000 forced a laugh as he maintained his cover. "General Bryce is definitely a handful. Have a good day as well, Officer." With that, Agent 000 retrieved his car and drove away.

"Agent 000" came Silas' voice through the com-link, "did you complete your task?"

Pressing a finger to his ear, Agent 000 answered.

"Yes sir, file has been uploaded and all possible threats have been terminated."

"Good, I expect you back at base at fifteen hundred hours. We are expecting visitors."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The swirling green vortex closed as he Autobots and human companions made it onto the Bermuda Triangle Island safely. The team transformed into their robotic forms while looking around. The groundbridge had dropped them off at a rock beach. Dark clouds covered the sky and barely any sunshine could penetrate them. The harsh waves of the ocean smashed against the large rocks on the left side, only to be broken apart as another wave appeared behind the old one. Up ahead, a thick forest covered the ground and a single mountain peak could be seen in the distance.

"WOW! This is SO COOL!" Miko exclaimed, quickly taking out her phone and snapping some pictures. "Bulk, Wheeljack! Get in this one!"

The two wreckers shrugged as they moved closer so all three of them would be captured by the phone's camera.

Raf looked around, just as astonished as Miko is. Farther down the rocky beach, Raf spotted something that appeared to be a broken airplane wing. Next to it was a torn up boat, no longer usable and obviously it got washed up onto the shore by the strong waves.

"That explains a lot" Raf said, he pointed to the broken wing and the torn up boat. "Check it out Bee, that's one of the lost planes and boats that I was talking about earlier."

Bumblebee studied the broken up vehicles and let out some curious beeps.

Raf's emotions slightly became a bit sadder as he responded. "I don't think anyone could have survived that."

"Autobots, the relic's signal is getting stronger. That must mean the Decepticons are unearthing the relic as we speak. We must move quickly." Optimus stated as he made his way into the forest. Bumblebee, Wheeljack, Bulkhead followed with their human companions not too far behind. Arcee stared out at the ocean, watching the waves move around.

 _Jack would have loved this_ , she thought and let out a sad sigh. _Jack, please be okay_.

Arcee quickly caught up to the group as they continued their way through the forest.

Not too long after entering the dense forest, the group heard drilling and someone yelling from a nearby clearing.

"Come on!" Knock Out yelled at one of the Vehicon miners. "Put your back into it!" The red doctor impatiently crossed his arms and tapped his foot. Breakdown stepped forward, pulling the Vehicon backwards as he activated his hammer in his left hand.

"I got this" he said, smashing the rocks around the area the Vehicons were mining, revealing a metal container which held the relic.

The Autobots watched all this happen as they crouched down in the forest. Knowing that they had to act fast, Optimus quickly devised a plan.

"Wheeljack, Bulkhead. You two will enter from the far side of the forest while Bumblebee and I attack from here. On my command, we launch an all out assault. Remember, we are trying to retrieve the relic. As soon as we get it, I will contact Ratchet for a groundbridge."

The three Autobots nodded but Arcee had a question.

"Optimus, what am I going to do?" she asked.

Optimus looked down at his second-in-command and could see in her optics that she was still emotionally unstable. "You will stay here and protect our human companions. When the groundbridge arrives, you will take through it immediately."

"Aww" complained Miko as she pouted and crossed her arms.

"But Optimus I-"

Arcee was cut off by Optimus. "Arcee, you are in no condition to fight at this moment. I need you to watch Miko and Raf. We have already lost one of our allies recently and I do not plan on losing another one." He looked at the rest of the group. "Autobots, you know what we must do. Take your positions." Optimus slid his faceplate across, covering his mouth.

Wheeljack and Bulkhead quickly made their way over to their position while Optimus and Bumblebee activated their blasters. Meanwhile, Breakdown had just uncovered the container. He picked it up and curiously started to study it.

"I don't see what so special about a metal container" he said to Knock Out. "If Megatron wanted one so bad, I could have made it for him."

Knock Out grabbed the container from his partner. "He doesn't want the container. It's the thing _inside_ the container that he wants." The doctor started to open up the container but stopped as he saw his reflection in the metal.

"Wow," he said to no one in particular as he stared at himself, "I look _good_."

Suddenly Wheeljack jumped out from his cover and blasted Knock out. The doctor was taken by surprise and was thrown back, dropping the container.

"I had about enough of you, princess" Wheeljack said through his faceplate, making his way over to retrieve the relic.

Before he could pick it up, he was hit across the face by Breakdown's hammer, knocking him to the side.

As that happened, Optimus, Bumblebee and Bulkhead rushed towards the clearing. The green wrecker immediately targeted his long time enemy and gave him an uppercut with his mace. Breakdown recovered and counter-attacked, landing two blows against Bulkhead's chest. The two heavies alternately bashed each other, both of them trying to knock the other one down.

"What's wrong Bulkhead," Breakdown mocked as he blocked one of Bulkhead's swings, "you starting to go soft on me?" The blue mech landed a hit to Bulkhead's chest, pushing him back a couple feet before activating his shoulder canon and fired at him. A barrage of blaster fire rained down onto the wrecker. Bulkhead saw it coming and he rolled out of the way. The blasts barely missed him, only scorching his arm a bit, and created a little dent in the ground.

"No, I'm just getting started" Bulkhead answered as he activated his own blaster. Quickly, he aimed at Breakdown's shoulder and shot off his blaster, causing the blue mech to howl out in pain. The two heavies ran towards each other, Breakdown's hammer and Bulkhead's mace colliding in the middle.

Meanwhile, Optimus and Bumblebee were busy fending off Vehicons, Knock Out slowly got up. He quickly checked his body and saw the blaster mark of where Wheeljack had hit him and instantly became enraged.

Looking Wheeljack straight in the optics, he activated his energon staff and charged. "You dare ruin my paint job! I'll destroy yours!"

Wheeljack unsheathed his swords just in time to block Knock Out's attack. The wrecker spun to his left, and tried to slice Knock Out's arm, only to have it paired with the staff. He tried using his other sword but the doctor saw it coming and kicked Wheeljack's hand, making him drop the sword. Catching him off guard, Knock Out jabbed the end of his staff into Wheeljack's leg, shocking the wrecker for a moment before he fell to his knees. The doctor activated the knife that shot out of the end of his staff, hoping to finish him off. Wheeljack dodged the blade but came in contact with the staff, the force of the swing pushing him to the side.

"I gotta give you some credit doc," Wheeljack quipped while spitting out some energon that was dripping from his mouth, "you sure know how to twirl your little baton. Maybe you should join the circus."

The wrecker quickly got back up and started unleashing a barrage of swings at Knock Out, the two robots pairing after every attempt.

While Bulkhead and Wheeljack were dealing with their Decepticon foes, Optimus noticed the relic unguarded. From behind a large rock he used as cover, the Autobot leader turned around and shot his blaster a few times before turning to Bumblebee who was lying on his torso, shooting from underneath a fallen tree.

"Bumblebee!" Optimus yelled, getting the scout's attention. "Retrieve the relic while I provide cover fire." The scout nodded and transformed into the yellow and black Urbana 500. Optimus jumped out from behind the rock and charged at the oncoming squadron of Vehicons. The leader dodged blaster fire as he fired back, off-lining a couple unfortunate Vehicons.

The squadron was too busy with Optimus to notice Bumblebee speed off towards the relic. In one swift motion, the scout jumped, transformed and grabbed the relic, then transformed into his vehicle form once again, landing with a bounce and speeding off towards the forest.

As that happened, Wheeljack and Bulkhead started to back-up. Knock out and Breakdown bearing down on them as the wreckers pressed their backs against each other. Wheeljack saw Bumblebee retrieve the relic and smirked, reminding himself to congratulate the scout on that slick move.

"Bulkhead!" he yelled out to his fellow wrecker. "Let's finish this, wrecker style!"

The green Autobot smirked and nodded his head as Wheeljack secretly activated his grenade and passed it along to Bulkhead. The pair waited until Knock out and Breakdown were right in front of them before dropping the grenade and diving to the side. The two Decepticons saw the grenade and tried to run but it was too late. The blast engulfed the two as the explosion shook the ground. Some Vehicons weren't paying attention as they too were engulfed in the explosion. Others fell to the ground or took cover. Optimus was forced to retreat back to the large rock as the explosion just passed him when he dove behind the rock.

Looking out from the forest, Miko, Raf, and Arcee watched as the event unfolded. Raf saw Bumblebee driving towards them and cheered when the scout let him know that he got the relic.

"It's not over yet" Arcee stated blankly. "Knock Out and Breakdown aren't that easy to get rid of. There are also plenty of Vehicons left to scrap. You two better stay here until we know that it's safe to go out."

Raf nodded his head and looked back. "Ummm, Arcee?" The female looked down at the boy and saw him pointing towards the direction of the explosion. Because of all the dust, Arcee could barely see anything until she picked up the figure of Miko running towards Bulkhead.

"Scrap" she cursed and quickly went after her, leaving Bumblebee and Raf in the forest.

When the dust cleared, everyone slowly got up. Knock Out slowly stood up, a little dazed from the explosion. He looked down at himself and gasped. Burns and scorch marks covered his body as his red paint was barely visible behind the brown dirt. "Look at what you Autobots did!" he screamed. "This is going to take cycles to repair!"

He was about to curse again when he spotted something that stood out from everything else. In the middle of the crater left behind by Wheeljack's explosion, was another container. This one was much larger than the other one and was severely damaged by the explosion. Unfortunately for him, he was not the only one to see the uncovered relic.

"Another relic?" Bulkhead asked Optimus.

"It appears so Bulkhead. Although, the scanners did not pick up another energy signal so the beacon on this one must be damaged. Nonetheless, we cannot allow the Decepticons to get their hands on Autobot artifacts! Autobots, retrieve the second relic!" Optimus commanded as he ran towards Knock Out. The Decepticon doctor was about to pick up the container until he was tackled by Optimus. Breakdown attempted to retrieve it by himself but was attacked by Wheeljack. The wrecker drew his swords and motioned for Breakdown to attack, in which he gladly accepted the challenge by activating his hammer and charged. Bulkhead was busy fending off the remaining Vehicons. The green wrecker seemed to be having fun as he smashed his maces against the face of a Vehicon.

Everyone was too busy with their own fights to notice Miko run towards the broken container.

"Wow" was all she said, looking up. For an artifact, it towered over her at almost 12 feet. Miko was very curious to see what ancient Cybertronian tech this container held. She saw a crack in the metal container and reached her hand into it. She couldn't see anything but felt a metal surface. As soon as her hand made contact, a very dim light appeared inside and the artifact started to vibrate before it all came to a complete stop. Startled Miko took out her hand and tried to look inside.

"Miko!" Arcee yelled as the female Autobot ran towards her. "I told you not to move. Now come on!" Surprisingly, Arcee's voice seemed to sound different. There was more care and worry in her voice than usual. A wave of guilt hit Miko in the chest as she knew that Jack's disappearance has been really hard on Arcee and her stunt probably just made it worst.

"Ok let's get out of here" she responded but pointed at the container. "What do we do with this?" Arcee tried to life the artifact but in all fairness, it stood at roughly a third of her height. She could lift it, but it would be at a slow pace and would look pretty obvious that someone was moving it away.

"Quick, hop on" she said as she transformed into her motorcycle form. "We'll get Bumblebee to pick it up."

The two girls raced back to the forest where they joined up with Bumblebee and Raf. As Miko got off Arcee quickly transformed into her bipedal form and took the first container form Bumblebee's hands. "Bee, there's another relic that got uncovered when the explosion went off. It's too big for me to carry so I need you to go get it."

The scout nodded and ran out of the forest towards the crater. Optimus spotted the young Autobot make a move for the relic and created a strategy accordingly.

"Autobots! Provide Bumblebee with cover fire and hold back your opponents!" he ordered. The three of them formed a tight wall with their back facing the container. Activating their blasters, they let loose at everything that tried to move forward.

Bumblebee saw the cover his teammates were providing and quickly picked up the second relic in his arms, running back to the forest. As he ran, he was shot a couple times in the back and shoulders but refused to stop because of the pain. Optimus, Wheeljack, and Bulkhead followed; taking blaster fire for the scout and returning with everything they had. As they neared the forest, Arcee contacted Ratchet for a groundbridge. The swirling green vortex appeared to her left as she picked up the children, as well as the relic and jumped in.

Bumblebee continued to run forward, taking more hits as he separated from the wall the others were providing. Pain shot up his back as he felt energon dripping. The scout pushed past the pain and dashed for the groundbridge, collapsing on the other side. Wheeljack and Bulkhead quickly followed through as Optimus continued to shoot at the oncoming Decepticons. Seeing the vortex begin to close, he quickly dove through, just in time before one of Breakdown's missiles hit.

"Scrap!" The angry Decepticon said as he smashed one of the nearby Vehicons. "Megatron is going to tear us a new one for losing two relics."

...

Optimus appeared in the command center as he changed directions in mid-air so that he wouldn't land on the collapsed Bumblebee. The Autobot leader got up and aided in getting Bumblebee to the medical room. The four of them sat on different berths, allowing Ratchet to scan them all.

"Luckily, you all sustained minor injuries. Bumblebee seemed to have gotten the worst of it all. Once I patch up those holes and refill your energon, you should all be fine." Ratchet said as he got to work on Bumblebee.

"You okay Bulkhead?" Miko asked looking up at her green guardian. He had a couple dents where Breakdown hit him but he was fine.

"I'm fine Miko" he answered, smiling down at his friend.

"How about you Bee?" Raf looked at Bumblebee.

The scout beeped happily and put a thumbs up. The boy laughed at his friends antics and was glad that he wasn't hurt too badly.

Arcee watched as Miko and Raf laughed and joked with their friends and instantly thought of Jack. Whenever she was in this room, Jack would always be there, right next to her side. Even when she wanted him to leave, he would stay. Sometimes, he would sit here for hours, waiting for her to recover.

" _Partners always stick together" is what he said_ , Arcee thought to herself. She turned around so that no one would see the tear coming from her optics. Quietly, she made her way to her quarters, locking the door and allowing all her emotions to come out.

...

After about 30 minutes of recovery, the Autobots are now back on their feet. Currently they are all standing in the command center waiting for Arcee, once again. The two containers holding ancient Cybertronian artifacts lay on the ground. Everyone was excited to see what secrets lie inside.

"Come on!" Miko impatiently said. "Let's bust these cans open and take a peak at what's inside!"

"Not yet Miko" Bulkhead responded, looking down at his human companion. "We're waiting for Arcee."

"Hummf!" Miko pouted with her arms crossed, "fine!"

Moments later, Arcee slowly trotted in. Once again, she was looking down at the floor, not saying a word. Wheeljack saw that her arm was slightly wet and knew exactly what she had been doing in her quarters. Under any normal circumstances, he would have jumped on the opportunity to make fun of the two-wheeler, however, he also knew that Jack meant the world to her and ever since his kidnapping, Arcee hasn't been the same.

"So..." Ratchet said awkwardly, "should we start?"

"Go ahead old friend" Optimus said, "I too am excited to see what ancient artifacts are hidden in those containers."

Ratchet nodded as he walked over to the two containers. He picked up the smaller one, the first relic they had retrieved. Ever so gently, he began opening the lid of the container. With a hiss, the lid opened and everyone leaned in to get a better look at the artifact. Ratchet looked at the looks of anticipation on everyone face and let out a little chuckle as he reached in a grabbed the artifact.

Pulling it out, he studied it for a moment before letting out a little gasp. The artifact appeared to be a plate with a blue circle in the middle. It was quite hard to explain because of how technologically advanced it looked. Optimus looked at it, not believing his eyes while Wheeljack and Bulkhead had confused looks on their faces. Bumblebee held Raf closer and Arcee merely gave it a glance.

"Optimus,... is this what I think it is?" Ratchet asked the Autobot leader.

"Yes" he responded, "I believe so. Autobots, this ancient artifact as called the Apex Armor. It was used by the Thirteen and hand crafted by Solus Prime herself. In their battle against Unicron, the armor was used frequently and is the most protective item in Cybertronian history."

Raf looked up at Optimus. "Didn't you say that it was called the Apex Armor? To me it looks like a high-tech plate. Why is it called the Apex _Armor_ is there is no armor?"

"A very good question Rafael" Ratchet quipped, "allow me to show you. With that, Ratchet placed the plate like artifact on his chest and it immediately began to extend. Armor plates engulfed Ratchet as the Apex Armor lived up to its name. Once all movement was complete, Ratchet's whole body was covered in blue tinted armor. His arms looked huge and the armor gave him extra height, making him taller than Optimus Prime. Everyone looked at him in awe as he stood above them. Ratchet then pressed something in the middle of his chest, reverting him back to his regular form and the Apex Armor once again becoming the small little plate.

"Who ever wears the Apex Armor instantly becomes indestructible" Optimus explained, "No amount of force or bullet can penetrate that armor. I am grateful we did not allow the Decepticons to be able to retrieve this ancient relic."

"That was so cool!" Miko exclaimed. "Hey Bulk, maybe if I wear that Apex thingy, we could go sparing together!"

"I don't know Miko, even with the armor it's still kinda dangerous." The wrecker said.

"Oh Come on! Afraid you'll lose against a human?" The little girl teased. Bulkhead rolled his optics while Wheeljack chuckled.

"The girl's got spunk, I'll give her that." Wheeljack said patting Miko on the head. "Maybe one day she could be an honorary wrecker."

Miko looked up at Wheeljack with stars in her eyes. "Really? You really think so? Wow a wrecker. I've always wanted to be one."

"Alright enough" Ratchet said cutting in, "you can talk about your dreams some time else. Right now, let us open the second container. After scanning the container's properties, it appears that it was already damaged _before_ Wheeljack's grenade. I believe it still functions but we should be cautious while opening it."

"Oh it functions Ratchet, I tested it."

"What?!" The medic looked at Miko with disbelief, "how could you have possible tested it. It's still in the container."

"Well actually, when you guys were busy scrapping the 'cons, I went over to the artifact." Miko started. "I was curious to see what was inside so I reached my hand through one of the cracks and felt a metal surface. When I touched it, there was a small light and the whole thing rumbled a bit before stopping."

Ratchet stared at the girl with his mouth wide open. "You thought it would be a good idea to touch a damaged artifact?! HAVE YOU GONE MAD?! The consequences of your actions could have been much worse! What if it was a bomb and you just set it off?! What if it was a very delicate relic and you just destroyed it?! What if-"

"Ratchet" Optimus cut him off, "I believe you have stated your point. It was a very irresponsible thing for Miko to touch the artifact without safety precautions. However, we should be glad that she is okay. Shall we open the container and see what lies inside?"

Ratchet pinched the bridge of his "nose" and stepped forward with a grunt. He reached down and began to open up the container.

"PRIME!"

The voice startled Ratchet as he turned around to see who it was. Everyone looked at the communication's monitor and saw Agent Fowler's picture, indicating that he is in a transmission call with them

"We have some information regarding MECH" Agent Fowler's voice came through.

Arcee immediately looked over at Optimus with pleading eyes. Optimus nodded and turned his attention to the monitor.

"Have you found where they are holding Jack?" The Prime asked.

"Yes and no. Let me start from the beginning. A couple hours ago, someone managed to break into the Pentagon..."

"Isn't the Pentagon supposed to be like super secure and super classified?" Miko asked.

"Yes it is. We're still trying to find out how they managed to get in. Anyways, whoever got in completely wiped out Sector D-23 and managed to steal information from our military database."

"Hold on Agent Fowler" Raf jumped in. "For someone to access the database, they would need to be using a computer that has straight access to it. Also, what did you mean by 'wiped out'. You mean the equipment is destroyed?"

Agent Fowler took a moment to think of a response. "No, the equipment is fine. When I say 'wiped out', I mean that everyone who worked in that sector has been killed. Also, they were not just killed, but brutally murdered... Let's just say, we can't identify any of the dead bodies. Anyways, Sector D-23 is the government's technological division and has access to all of our files. Whoever infiltrated the area copied a file regarding "dark energon" and sent it to a secure network. After our team found out something was copied, we immediately traced the network to MECH and found the location of where the data was sent."

Arcee took all of this information in. Suddenly her emotions went from sad and depressed to angry and furious. "Optimus, we have to rescue Jack and stop MECH's plans."

The Prime nodded his head. "I agree Arcee, Agent Fowler if you could please send the co-ordinates, we will groundbridge there immediately."

"Sure thing. Good luck to you all. And Prime?"

"Yes Agent Fowler, what is it?"

"Bring our guy back." With that he ended the transmission. Optimus looked at his team and saw the anger and determination on their faces. He too had this feeling inside of him. They will do whatever it takes to bring Jack back. He looked over at Arcee and saw the anger burning inside of her. The groundbridge opened in front of them and Optimus stepped forward.

"Autobots, we must remember to keep our emotions in check. Not only for our safety but for Jack."

Arcee quickly glanced to a picture of Jack on the wall, the same one that is in quarters.

"Jack" she whispered to herself, "I'm bringing you home."

"Autobots, roll out!"

Team Prime transformed and drove into the swirling green vortex. Each of them prepared for anything MECH throws at them.

Like the prisoners, they were very, very wrong.

...


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Sir, our scanners indicate 5 unidentifiable heat sources heading our way 3 klicks due south"

Silas stood in the dark room watching the movement of the 5 red dots. He knew that they would come, and he was prepared. He nodded to the MECH soldier and turned to face a man leaning against a desk, sharpening his katana.

"Agent 000, if you would please give our _guests_ a proper welcome"

The agent looked up at the man who addressed him and smirked.

"Don't worry Silas" he said while putting his mask on. "I'll give them a show they'll never forget."

…

The Autobots cautiously made their way towards the co-ordinates of the MECH base, given to them by Agent Fowler. They traveled through the clearing in a pentagon form, allowing the team to be able to look in all directions; Optimus in the front, Arcee and Bumblebee to his left and right followed by the two wreckers in the back. All optics were narrowed and ready for anything. There has never been this much tension between them.

Not before too long, Team Prime reached the MECH base. Multiple buildings were scattered, all connecting to one another. The entire area was fenced off with electrical wiring. It resembled a lot like Agent Fowler's own military base, a place the Autobots have been to plenty of times to meet government officials or a firsthand field report. The only difference with the MECH base was that there seemed to be no one in sight. Even the watch towers didn't have people stationed in side. Wheeljack spotted a couple Humvees which looked like they had been abandoned last second and he grit his teeth.

"Commander, they knew we were coming"

"We must not let our guard down," Optimus responded without looking at him. "Be prepared for anything."

" **Hello Optimus Prime, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?** " came a familiar that could be heard throughout the facility.

"Silas! Show yourself you little weasel! Where is Jack?" Arcee demanded. She didn't care for the chit-chat and wanted to see Jack.

" **Jack? Who is this Jack? I have not seen him since our last encounter** " responded Silas, his voice booming over the speakers stationed around the facility.

"Liar!" Arcee called out, rage boiling inside of her. "We know you took him! Where is he?! If you don't tell me where he is, I'll-"

" **A feisty one you have here Optimus. Is there a hint of fear I hear in your voice? Perhaps the fear of losing someone you care about?** " Silas mocked.

Optimus stepped forward to address the voice. "Silas, you have taken a member of our team, a member of our family. If you return him to us, no blood or energon will be spilled on this day. However, if you do not, we will be forced to take action."

" **Now that I think of it, I do remember bringing in a young man with black hair. Unfortunately, our scientists used him in one of our operations and sadly, he died during the experiment.** "

Silas' words hit Arcee like a shot to her spark. "No…" she whispered to herself. The female fell to her knees, refusing to accept what she has been told.

"Don't listen to him Arcee, he's bluffing." Bulkhead said, comforting his fallen teammate.

Wheeljack looked at one of the cameras that were attached to a building. "Come out here you coward!" Wheeljack challenged as he pointed his sword to the camera. "Come out here and fight me!"

Laughter could be heard from the speakers. Not joyful laughter but evil, almost mocking laughter. " **I am the least of your worries at this moment. At this time, you have someone else to deal with.** "

All optics turned to a figure step out from the shadows of a nearby building. "So, giant talking metal robots huh? Silas, you are too good to me."

"Who are you?" Bulkhead asked the figure.

" **Autobots, allow me to introduce Agent 000, MECH's latest installment and the ultimate soldier.** "

Agent 000 wore a black jacket, as well as black pants and black army boots. His masked covered his face ending just bellow his dark purple eyes. Once again, he was equipped with his katana and desert eagle, both still in their holders. Agent 000's dark veins pulsed as he grew ecstatic. Soon his blade that has stricken down many will have robot blood smeared against it. He secretly smirked at the thought of it.

Arcee looked at Agent 000, still on her knees. For a strange reason, she felt drawn to the man. Perhaps that is why she let her emotions get the best of her. "Please, have you seen a young boy with black hair? I'm begging you; please tell me where he is. Please…" Energon tears started streaming from her eyes, dripping on the ground in front of the man.

Agent 000 looked at the sobbing female on her knees in front of him and felt no sympathy. He has not seen anyone around with her description and also did not care. He looked into her optics and saw deep wounds of sadness and sorrow, yet he still didn't much care.

"Move out of my way robot, or you shall be the first to fall to my blade." Agent 000 turned away from her and walked away.

Bumblebee saw this and instantly became enraged. Arcee begged him to tell her where Jack was and he disrespected her like that. Even Megatron would have seen her sorrow of pain and at least tell her where he is. This Agent 000 was a man without a heart.

Seeing him walk away, Bumblebee activated his blaster and shot the ground in front of Agent 000, stopping him in his tracks immediately. The MECH agent turned to face where the shot came from and saw a yellow robot beeping angrily at him.

Not understanding a word Bumblebee said, Agent 000 let out a small, sinister laugh. "I see you lost your voice robot", his voice suddenly turned deeper and darker, almost threatening. "Do that again and you'll lose more than your voice."

Optimus saw that Bumblebee did not take the challenge lightly and saw the scout aim his blaster at Agent 000. "No Bumblebee, don't-"

He was too late, Bumblebee let off a shot directly towards Agent 000. With inhuman speed, the man dodged the shot and began dashing for the young scout.

Taken by surprise by the human's speed Bumblebee started to back-up nervously, blasting blindly hoping to stop the man. However much he blasted, it came to no avail.

Agent 000 moved closer and closer to his prey as Bumblebee desperately tried to get away. Closing in the gap in mere milliseconds, Agent 000 leapt up towards the joint that connects Bumblebee's leg to his thigh. In one swift motion, the agent unsheathed his katana and sliced Bumblebee's leg clean off, landing on the ground with the katana back in the sheath.

Everyone stared in horror as Bumblebee fell back, howling in pain while clutching his left leg. Energon dripped from the joint onto the scout's disconnected leg. With Bumblebee on the ground, Agent 000 quickly leaped onto his chest staring into the optics of the young Autobot. He could see pain and fear on Bumblebee's face which only made him want to continue further.

Enraged, Bulkhead, Wheeljack and Arcee activated their blasters and aimed it at the agent standing on top of Bumblebee.

"No!" Optimus ordered, "You will hit Bumblebee!" The Autobots listened and lowered their weapons, each of them afraid of what might happen next.

The Prime turned around and looked at Agent 000. "Please" he said to the ruthless killer, "do not harm him any further. He was merely standing up to one of his fellow teammates."

Agent 000 looked at Optimus and turned back to look at Bumblebee's pained and pleading optics. He let out a menacing laugh as he turned to face the Autobot leader. "Optimus Prime, is it? As a leader, you should maintain order to your soldiers, otherwise there will be consequences." With that, Agent 000 cut off Bumblebee's forearms, disarming him and making the scout cry.

The precise life blood that is energon flowed from Bumblebee's injuries. A pool started to form around the whimpering scout. The injured Autobot tried his hardest to fight the pain but it was too much. The scout shut his optics and went into stasis mode; still alive, but unresponsive.

The Autobots looked at the agent with newfound horror. What he did to Bumblebee was cruel, selfless, and harsh. To make matters worse, the agent was enjoying every moment of it, even laughing at Optimus' plea for mercy. MECH created a monster without a heart. One with inhuman strengths and speed who enjoyed watching others suffer. It was as if he was the human version of Unicron himself.

Agent 000 hoped off the unmoving robot and looked towards the rest of the Autobots. This time, he was ready for a fight. He drew his Desert Eagle with his left hand while clutching the katana in his right. He looked around at all the optics starring at him until he found his new target; a big green one with both fear and anger in his optics, the perfect prey.

"Let's dance."

Without warning, Agent 000 sprinted at Bulkhead. The Autobots saw him coming and sent a barrage of blaster fire his way, only to have the man jump, dodge and weave around them. Agent 000 started shooting Bulkhead with his Desert Eagle, hoping to cause some damage, but it did nothing.

 _Damn it!_ He thought to himself. _His armors too thick, I'll need to find an opening…_

The agent smirked to himself while he dodged another set of blaster fire.

… _I'll make my own_.

Quick as lightning, Agent 000 sent his sword spinning in the air, stabbing Bulkhead in the chest. The wrecker stumbled backwards from shock and the sudden pain in his chest. Noticing the sword lodged inside his chest plate, he pulled it out and threw it to the side. Luckily for him, the cut wasn't deep enough to cause any damage. Unluckily, that was exactly what Agent 000 wanted him to do.

Seeing the agent get closer, Bulkhead activated his mace and attempted to smash the human. However, Agent 000 merely dodged the all the hits while shooting his gun at the exact spot his sword was inserted. Once on contact, his bullets immediately made the hole wider as well as deeper, breaking circuits inside of Bulkhead's chest as he screamed in pain. Energon began leaking out of the wound, forcing Bulkhead to place a hand on it to try to stop the stream.

Suddenly, Agent 000 changed directions, moving to retrieve his katana that had been thrown to the ground. Making his way to his weapon, the agent continued to dodge blaster fire as well as Bulkhead huge mace.

"Stay still you little bug!" Bulkhead said through his gritted teeth, trying to fight off the pain from his chest.

Finally reaching his katana, Agent 000 used it to block an incoming shot. Expecting to split the shot like a bullet, the agent was taken by surprise when the energon blast made contact, sending him flying and landing near Bulkhead's feet. The angry wrecker saw his opportunity and took it as he slammed his mace down on the fallen agent.

Everything was quiet for a moment as blaster fire died down. The Autobots let out a sigh of relief until suddenly Bulkhead's mace started to lift off the ground. Pushing the mace away, Agent 000 slowly got to his feet, startling Bulkhead as the human managed to push up the entire weight of Bulkhead's body.

Once up and in a stable position, Agent 000 jumped to the side, letting Bulkhead slam the ground. The agent then began to climb up the wrecker's chest, using his katana as a mountain climber would use an ice axe. As Agent 000 made his way up with inhuman speeds, he made sure to dig his sword in deep enough to penetrate the thin material underneath Bulkhead's armor that acted as the last line of defense before the circuits. A steady stream of energon poured from each hole Agent 000 made, making the wrecker cry out.

Once he neared the wrecker's neck, Agent 000 stabbed him and dragged it along as he ran across Bulkhead's shoulder. After the wrecker attempted to cover the cut, the agent jumped off, sticking his katana in the back of Bulkhead's back and used gravity to push the sword all the way down, creating a huge gash. All the pain was too much for the wrecker as he fell to his knees, trying to stop as much energon as he could.

"Bulkhead!" Arcee and Wheeljack screamed as they rushed over to their fallen teammate. Optimus

Agent 000 saw them coming and stepped in front of Arcee's path, allowing Wheeljack to check on Bulkhead. "Not you female, I have a bone to pick with you." Agent 000 drew his sword as he paced forward.

"Please" Arcee begged, "let us go. We only want to find our friend."

Agent 000 ignored her, jumping up to her lower torso and slicing it clean open. The two-wheeler fell in pain, clutching her area that was attacked. Agent 000's slice not only opened her up, but damaged her T-Cog.

The MECH agent took note of the less protective area on the lower torso. He slowly turned around and walked to the fallen female, hoping to finish her off.

"You talk about saving your friend, but who is going to save you?"

Agent 000 lifted his sword, about to bring it down on the downed two-wheeler when he looked into her optics. He could see pain and suffering; not from her wound, but from her loss.

"His name is Jack and he's been missing for almost a week now." Arcee said painfully. "He, he means the world to me and there's nothing left for me without him. Please tell me where he is."

Something shifted inside of Agent 000. The monster on the outside revealed his true colors. He felt her pain and felt guilty about what he's done. He was sympathetic and wanted to help, but he honestly didn't know who this 'Jack' is.

"I-I'm sorry" Agent 000 responded in a soft voice. "I don't know anyone by your description." The agent had no idea this side of him existed. Something was different inside of him, the sensation felt weird, yet warm.

"Agent 000!" came Optimus' voice. Suddenly Agent 000 turned back into his menacing self. He turned to see the Prime standing with his blades raised. "You have hurt this family far enough. I will stop you, no matter what the cost!"

Agent 000 smirked and motioned for Optimus to come at him. The two warriors charged at each other, clashing swords. At first it seemed that Optimus had the upper hand, however, Agent 000's small size and agile form allowed him to maneuver around every one of the Prime's swing.

The continued clashing swords, sparks flying whenever the two metals made contact. Suddenly Agent 000 wielded back his katana, and swung with all his strength, shattering Optimus' sword in two. The Prime backed up, taken by surprise as the agent moved forward.

Optimus knew that he was at a disadvantage and had to retreat. He grabbed the broken piece of his sword and threw it at the agent like a Frisbee. Agent 000 jumped up to dodge the spinning blade, exactly what the Prime wanted him to do. Once he was in the air, Optimus stabbed Agent 000 while he was in the air with the other half of the blade, catching his leg as the agent fell to the ground in an awkward position.

Agent 000 got up slowly, wiping the blood of his mouth and smirked. "That was a nice maneuver" he said while checking his leg. A long, deep gash ran from the top of his thigh to his ankle. Blood dripped from his wound, a darker red that usual. The agent stood up and looked Prime in the eyes.

"Now, it's my turn."

With the speed of lightning, Agent 000 jumped up and sliced Optimus' lower torso, tearing it open and damaging his T-Cog. Falling, he kicked the back of the Prime's leg with such force, Optimus fell forward landing with a hard thud. Agent 000 saw his opening and started shooting his handgun at the spot where he cut the Prime. After every shot, the slice started to widen as the bullets started to penetrate the inner circuits. Optimus grunted in pain, clutching his lower torso while firing his blaster with his other hand. Agent 000 merely dodged the lowly shots as he jumped onto the Prime's back, digging his blade into his shoulder and pulling his entire arm off.

Optimus' eyes widen as he felt energon dripping from his missing limb. He tried to stand but the agent kicked his faceplate, keeping him down.

Agent 000 jumped of the fallen leader and laughed, looking at his handy work. He turned and glared at the last standing Autobot, the white one named Wheeljack.

"All right pal, you want to play with swords," Wheeljack pulled out his two blades while activating his faceplate. "I'll give you swords."

Like Optimus, Wheeljack specialized in swords so he was able to fight against Agent 000 almost as well as Optimus. However, even after his extensive training, Wheeljack struggled against the onslaught of the MECH agent. After every swing or block, the wrecker would receive a slice on the hand or the forearm. Not after too long, Wheeljack's arms were covered in slices, energon dripping from his wounds.

Suddenly, a swirling green vortex appeared near Bumblebee. Wheeljack saw Optimus get up and trot over to the fallen Arcee. "Autobots, we must retreat into the groundbridge! Wheeljack, provide cover for our injured!" Optimus commanded as he helped Arcee up, both of them leaning on each other for support as they made their way to the groundbridge.

Bulkhead heard Optimus and used every ounce of his strength to get to Bumblebee. He picked up the unmoving scout as well as the limbs and clambered into the vortex, leaving behind a trail of energon.

"Leaving so soon?" Agent 000 mocked as he paired his katana against Wheeljack's crossed swords. The wrecker didn't answer the question, gritting his teeth he continued to fend of the agent as the Autobots retreated through the groundbridge. The agent continued his assault, slashing the Autobot's arm. Using his enhanced speed and agility, Agent 000 jumped onto Wheeljack's left hand, running up the wrecker's arm until he reached his shoulder. With a little maneuver to get up, the agent sliced his sword, cutting off Wheeljack's arm, leaving only circuits to keep the dead limb from falling. Wheeljack grit his teeth in pain as he clutched his dislocated arm from falling off.

Knowing that he was outmatched, he waited until Optimus and Arcee made it through then dashed towards the vortex with Agent 000 right on his tail. The wrecker jumped through the groundbridge, landing on the other side with a thud. Looking up he saw Ratchet helping Optimus with Arcee's limping body.

"DOC!" he screamed, "CLOSE THE BRIDGE NOW!"

Quickly Ratchet pulled the lever for the groundbridge control, closing the vortex just in time as Agent 000 was right on the other side, about to hop in. Seeing the groundbridge close, the agent smirked while putting his katana and Desert Eagle back into their respective holders.

"How was that Silas?" he asked, turning towards the cameras that captured the entire battle on film.

On the other side, Silas grinned seeing the amount of energon that was splattered on the ground.

" **An excellent performance Agent 000, however I do not believe this is the last we'll see of the Autobots** " his voice answered. " **Head over to your dorm, you have done well today and deserve a rest.** "

Agent 000 nodded as he made his way to his dorm. He enjoyed watching robots suffer but something nagged at him on the inside. He remembered the blue female, her pain and desperation to find the kid named 'Jack'. He still felt the same feeling of guilt and sympathy from before and it made him feel uncomfortable on the inside. Still deep in thought, he felt a pain in his leg and looked down to see blood flowing from his wound.

 _Damn it_ , he thought to himself, _I forgot about this_.

Agent 000 turned around and headed for the medical bay. Walking through the dark facility, he forced himself to put his earlier thoughts away. Although, something still felt weird inside of him, like someone trying to pull free from their restraints. He heard a voice and looked around, only to see no one. Ignoring the voice, he quickly continued on his path.

...

In the Autobot base, Ratchet was rushing to stabilise everyone's injuries. Bumblebee needed to be placed in stasis-lock before he could operate on him. Bulkhead was quickly bleeding out and need immediate welding. Wheeljack was covered in deep gashes and needed to have his arm re-attached. Optimus also held onto his broken limb as well as a damaged T-Cog. Miko and Raf watched as Ratchet operated, moving from one Autobot to another. Both of them were crying and holding on to each other, hoping they're Autobot friends would be okay. It was worse for Raf as he saw Bumblebee's broken state. He ran over to his guardian and stood by his side while the doctor put him in stasis.

Arcee seemed to be the one with the least amount of injuries, only needing to have her T-Cog fixed and her lower torso welded. However, she was emotionally unstable and that was something Ratchet could not fix.

The female lay on a berth in the medical bay and closed her eyes as she felt tears trickle down her cheek. "I-I'm sorry Jack" she whispered, "I-I couldn't save you."

Then, everything went dark.

 **Author's Note: Hey guys, I hope you are enjoying the story so far as I've been having fun writing them. Once again, please do leave a review and tell me how I'm doing. Any kind of review will be accepted, positive or negative.**

 **Currently, I've ran into a problem with maybe getting a bit too dark and graphic in my chapters. In fact, there was comment saying my writing style is sadistic. While I disagree, I completely see where you're coming from. The reason for my darkness is because I'm setting up a series that are based on the events in this story. I needed to set a tone for the first story and gradually, it will change through the course of the series. However, if you truly believe my writing is too graphic, please leave a review or pm me about it. I'm still new to this writing thing and if there too much violence, I'll cut down on those scenes and change my writing style.**

 **Other than that, I hope you are enjoying the story so far and be sure to send me a review. Have a great day :D.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Darkness.

That's all Arcee can see when she opened her eyes. She found herself in a black area, unable to see anything except the darkness around her. No walls, no floor, no doors, no light, just darkness.

"Hello?" she called out. There was no response other than the echo of her voice.

"Where am I?" she asked, again no response.

Arcee got up from the 'ground', curious to see where she was. The two-wheeler started to walk in one direction, which way that was, she had no idea. Arcee didn't know what to do. She tried her com-link but got nothing. She tried yelling out again but only got the echo of her voice in return.

Suddenly, a familiar voice called her name.

" **Ar-arcee...** "

"Hello? Who are you? Where are you?" Arcee called out.

" **Arcee, pl-please help me...** "

The two-wheeler started to panic. If someone needed her help, she needed to get ot them fast. Quickly, she followed the direction in which the voice came from. She ran through the darkness, hoping to find the person in need of help.

" **Arcee...** "

"I'm coming!" she yelled to the voice, running faster through the black abyss.

" **Ar-arcee, hurry pl-please...** "

Finally, she reached her destination as she saw two giant iron doors that towered over her. She pushed through the double doors which revealed a dark room. In the middle shone a dim light, revealing a surgeon operating on someone strapped to the seat.

" **Arcee...** " came the voice. The two-wheeler traced the sound to the person strapped to the seat.

Arcee ran forward, trying to get a better look at the person. Taking a couple steps forward, she bumped into an invisible wall, but not before taking a good look at the person being operated on.

"Jack!" she yelled, getting the teen's attention, his bloodshot eyes looking deep into her soul.

" **Arcee...why, why didn't you come...why didn't you save me?** " Jack asked in a pained voice.

Arcee fell to her knees, tears beginning to drop from her optics as she banged against the invisible wall. "I-I'm sorry Jack. I tried. I tried to save you. I-"

She was cut off by Jack's screams of pain. Arcee looked in horror to see the surgeon cut Jack's arm open, blood pouring out of the wound. The surgeon picked up a needle that lay on his tray and injected some sort of black ooze deep into Jack's skin, making the teen scream even louder.

" **Arcee...help...me** " he looked directly at Arcee's eyes. She could see the pain he was suffering from the strange substance inserted into his body.

Arcee tried to activate her blasters and blades, but it only came to nothing. "Stop! Please!" she begged, the surgeon not even giving her a glance as he continued his operation.

" **Arcee...why won't you help me?...Why don't you care?** "

"I do care!" she screamed back, tears dripping onto the ground. "Jack! I care! I care so much for you! You mean everything to me! Jack!"

" **Then help me Arcee...help...me** " His voice started to sound farther and farther away as he slowly closed his eyes. The surgeon cut open his other arm, injecting the black ooze again. Jack screamed again, his screams digging into Arcee's brain.

"Jack! I'm coming!" Arcee tried to get up but it was as if all her strength left her. She couldn't do anything except watch in horror as the surgeon operated on her human partner.

" **You...don't...care...** " Jack said slowly, his voice now becoming a whisper. His head dropped to the side, revealing dark veins running up his neck.

"Jack! NO! Don't leave me!" Arcee screamed back, struggling to find words. "I care Jack! I care about you! I'm sorry! Please, be strong! I-I love you!"

Jack didn't respond, his limp body lay on the seat.

"No..." Arcee whispered, "I love you. I love you Jack!"

"JACK!"

Suddenly, Arcee's eyes shot open as she sat up on her berth. Ratchet came rushing over, hearing her scream Jack's name.

"What's wrong Arcee? Are you okay?" the medic asked.

Arcee didn't respond. Her spark was pulsing at a fast rate while she tried to relax.

 _It was just a dream..._ She said to herself. _It was just a dream._

She looked around and saw that she was in the medical bay, along with everyone else. Bumblebee still lay in stasis-lock, although his limps were attached back onto his body. Raf sat next to his friend, checking and double-checking Bumblebee's vitals.

Miko was next to Bulkhead, the two talking about something that Arcee couldn't hear. Miko said something funny which made Bulkhead laugh, the big green wrecker clutching his torso as he did. Bulkhead looked like he went through a successful recovery. His wound has been welded together and he looked like nothing ever happened to him.

Sitting next to him was Wheeljack, also laughing along at what Miko said. He too, had a quick recovery. His shoulder was back in place but he still had marks on his forearms from Agent 000's slashes.

Optimus lay on the berth across from Arcee, talking to June and Agent Fowler. Like Wheeljack, his arm was attached back onto his body and his lower torso has been healed as well. Arcee saw this and looked at her own torso. She could feel the repaired T-Cog inside of her and she could also see where Ratchet welded her wound. Arcee ran a finger down the line where she was cut.

Ratchet saw that she noticed her torso. "It was important that I had everyone's injuries stabilized as soon as possible. Luckily, my medical expertise allowed me to repair all damages in a mere cycle. Your injuries were by far the easiest to fix. A slightly damaged T-Cog and an open wound took me no time at all to finish."

Arcee heard Ratchet but chose to ignore him. She was still trying to cool down from her dream but here was something on her mind, something that she said in her dream to Jack.

 _I said I loved him_ , she thought. _I said I loved him and I meant it. Do I love Jack?_

She slowly stood up from her berth while Ratchet continued.

"While the repairs were completed without any interference, I believe it would be best if you-"

He was cut off by the sound of Arcee transforming into her motorcycle form and speeding out of the medical bay towards the base's exit.

"-do not transform until further analysis." The medic rubbed his 'nose' and grunted in frustration.

"What's up with Arcee?" Bulkhead asked.

"I believe she feels responsible for Jack's disappearance and clearly our last encounter with MECH has made it worse" Optimus pointed out. "Her physical wounds may not have been severe, but her emotional wounds have left her in a terrible state."

Ratchet looked over to June who was now deep in thought. "How are you coping with this situation Mrs. Darby? I'm I am not mistaken, you are just as worried as Arcee is about Jack's well-being."

"Recently has been very tough, I have to admit" the nurse responded, hugging herself. "I've had my moments where emotions get the best of me but I remind myself that crying is not going to help find Jack. If we want to find Jack, we can't waste time feeling sorry for ourselves. So I keep them in, not for myself, but for Jack. Obviously Arcee is taking it much worse than I am, but that's reasonable. She and Jack have been very close since the day he met her. They're an inseparable pair and sometimes I wonder if one day, he'll get up and go with Arcee on some long adventure without telling me."

"Speaking of Jack, did you manage to find his location?" Agent Fowler jumped in. He didn't get a straight response as all the Autobots who went on the mission put their head down.

"We couldn't get a trace because we were busy with something else" Wheeljack replied blankly, shuddering from the memory of his arm getting sliced off.

"We were attacked" Bulkhead stated, looking at Wheeljack and knowing his friend was thinking about what happened.

"And what precisely attacked you? What could have caused this much damage to 5 highly trained Autobots?" Ratchet interrogated.

"You must relax old friend." Optimus said to Ratchet. "MECH has enlisted the help of a powerful individual."

"Who was it? Was it a 'con? Was he really big? What weapons did he have? Bulkhead probably took care of him right? He's probably in the scrap yard now right?" Miko questioned, she seemed to always be full on energy, even in the direst moments.

"Miko, it wasn't a 'con and I didn't scrap it, even though I really wanted to." Bulkhead smashed his fist together, slightly wincing form the impact. He still needed some time to recover before he could go start fighting again.

"Bulkhead is correct. The threat we face is a human with extraordinary abilities I have never seen before. He goes by the alias 'Agent 000' and has enhanced strength, speed, agility and reflexes. His power is inhuman like and he is ruthless; attacking Bumblebee when he was down. He is extremely dangerous but I fear that his skills are not natural. MECH may have chemically enhanced him for his blood and eye color was unlike any I have ever seen." Optimus explained.

The Autobots nodded while the humans looked shocked, especially Raf and Miko who looked at each other with disbelief.

"So you mean like a real life super soldier, like Captain America?" Raf asked.

Ratchet gave him a strange look. "The captain of what?"

"And what does he have to do with America?" Bulkhead jumped in.

Raf faced palmed. "Never mind..." he said with a sigh earning a snicker from Miko.

"Prime, did you manage to get a look at his face? Maybe we can put the image through our government's facial recognition scanners." Agent Fowler said to Optimus.

The Autobot leader shook his head. "I am sorry Agent Fowler but Agent 000 wore a mask that hid his face, leaving only his eyes."

Suddenly an idea popped into Ratchet's mind, something Optimus had mentioned before.

"Optimus, did you say that his blood was different than usual?" he asked.

"Yes" the Prime responded, "it appeared to be much darker than the normal human blood."

"Primus no," the medic exclaimed, the pieces of the puzzle coming together inside of his mind. "Optimus, as I was repairing your damaged sword, I noticed a strange substance residing at the end of the broken blade."

"Hah!" Wheeljack laughed. "That's from when the commander stabbed that little runt in the leg."

"Hmmm yes, yes. Well I took a sample to test later on but it seems it might be more of an importance to do that now. Allow me to retrieve it." Ratchet said before he ran off into his chemical lab. A minute later, he returned with a strange dark red liquid inside of a container.

"Perhaps this will give us our answer." He quickly scanned the liquid with his scanner and inserted it into his arm where a small pad appeared, allowing him to determine the different chemicals that make up the blood of Agent 000.

"Aha! Just as I suspected" the medic exclaimed, getting the attention of everyone in the room. "After scanning the blood, I noticed a couple strange features. First, there is no DNA scan available meaning MECH has altered Agent 000's original blood line. Second, after removing the usual chemicals and elements that are in human blood; calcium, protein and so on, I am able to determine what kind of substance MECH inserted into Agent 000."

After Ratchet removed all the elements and compounds in human blood from Agent 000's blood, he was able to find what he was looking for. "The substance MECH injected into Agent 000's blood stream is a mixture of different chemical compounds. There are many complex mixtures that have been added but the most notable is this one; dark energon."

Ratchet looked up and saw everyone's eyes widen, but he could also see them putting the pieces together inside of their minds.

Bulkhead snapped his fingers. "That explains why they took the dark energon from the government base a week ago."

"It must also be why they stole that file on dark energon; so they can get more of the stuff and get another one of their super soldiers" Wheeljack added.

"And judging by the damages you took during your fight against Agent 000, he must have been the one who broke into the Pentagon" Agent fowler pieced together.

"Alright! Now that you know what MECH's been up to, you can go blow up their base!" Miko said happily, earning a groan from Ratchet.

"Look Miko, right now we're in no shape to go out there and wage an all out war against MECH. Besides, what'll we do when Agent 000 shows up?" Bulkhead said to his human companion.

"Huh, I guess your right" Miko said and crossed her arms.

"Excuse me" June jumped in, "Aren't we forgetting about finding Jack? We know the blood compound of this 'Agent 000' but we still don't even have the location of where my son is!"

The mood in room dropped slightly as the Autobots thought for a moment.

"When we asked Silas, he told us that Jack was killed in an operation they performed on him" Wheeljack said breaking the silence, earning a gasp from the kids and June.

Optimus noticed the human's reaction and quickly jumped in. "I believe that Silas was not truthful when asked about Jack. It does not seem logical for MECH to take a considerable amount of effort to kidnap Jack, only to have him killed in an operation. MECH must have Jack in captivity, however, the question becomes where are they holding him?"

Everyone in the room went quiet, deep in thought. They know that MECH has Jack captured but they didn't know much of anything else. Why are they holding him? Where exactly is he? What are MECH's intentions?

"Well come on guys think!" Miko said, breaking the silence. "If you were a secret organization who kidnapped a 16 year old and wants to hide him from giant alien robots from another planet, where would you put him?"

Miko's comment popped an idea in Raf's head. "In the most secure place possible!" He thought out loud. The Autobots looked at him as if he was crazy.

"Come on kid, you have to give us more than that" Wheeljack said to Raf.

"No, no, no. You're missing the point." Raf stated, "MECH may have an army but compared to you Autobots, those weapons are useless... except one person. Agent 000 proved that he can hold his own against you, no offense."

"None taken" Wheeljack replied, although he did rub his hand against the scars on his forearm.

"Well that's practically a giant arrow pointing to where Jack is!" Raf continued. "If they want to keep Jack away from the Autobots, they would put him behind their most powerful weapon, who just so happens to be Agent 000. I'm positive that Jack is somewhere in that MECH base and since they did fend you off, I doubt they moved at all."

"Very good analysis Rafael" Ratchet beamed at the young prodigy.

"Then it is settled" Optimus commanded while standing up from the berth. "When we are healed and Bumblebee awakens from stasis, we will launch an attack on the MECH base. We will attack as soon as possible fro we do not want MECH to replicate the substance to create another super soldier."

"Hold on Optimus" Bulkhead intervened, "what are we going to do when Agent 000 shows up. We can't take him and I'm not looking forward to being cut up again."

"Do not worry Bulkhead" Optimus replied, "I have thought a strategy that may work against Agent 000. Ratchet, when Bumblebee has woken, I will need to discuss how we are to approach this situation."

"Very well Optimus, but what about Arcee?" the medic questioned.

"Arcee will be informed in time" Optimus responded, "however at this moment, I believe it would be best if we give her some time."

Optimus looked towards the direction in which Arcee left and sighed to himself.

...

Agent 000 walked down the hallways of the MECH facility. He had a lot on his mind and needed to get some answers. Ever since his run in with the Autobots, he's begun to question himself and what he is doing. For one, the biggest question on his mind is who is Jack? The Autobots seemed keen in finding him, especially the blue one, and he wanted to know why. Also along that line, he wanted to know more about who he is. He doesn't remember anything prior to becoming enhanced and while MECH has given stories about his past self, he knows better than to believe what they say. He needed answers, and he was going to get them.

He walked past he training area of the MECH base and saw a line of MECH soldiers practising their aim. He stopped to watch them as he saw a soldier trying to shoot the middle of a moving dummy. The man took two shots, both missing the target. The soldier took another shot which hit the dummy's shoulder and reloaded. Agent 000 chuckled to himself and took out his Desert Eagle. From the small door opening, Agent 000 took aim and shot the dummy right in the middle, blowing open the back and startling the soldier. Happy with his work, he continued down the hallway.

After a couple turns, he finally reached the room where he wanted. It was Silas' business room and he this is where he would get his answers. He walked in, locking the door behind him. Silas saw Agent 000 walk in and was surprised to see him.

"Hello Agent 000" Silas said with a serious tone, "to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"Answers, Silas" Agent 000 said as he took a seat across the desk Silas was seated, "I want answers."

The MECH leader raised an eyebrow, not knowing exactly what Agent 000 meant but he decided to play along.

"Very well Agent 000, I will provide any explanations you want."

"Good" Agent 000 said. "First off, who is this 'Jack' and why do the Autobots want to find him?"

Silas thought for a moment before responding, something Agent 000 took note of. "The Autobots are one of our many enemies who believe MECH's ultimate goal is non-realistic. They believe the world should work in peace and harmony, but as history has told us, that just doesn't happen. MECH sees a better world, a better life where we are in charge. We will set the tone for every country and punish those who disagree. We will lead this planet into the next golden age."

"And what does this Jack have to do with MECH's goal?" Agent 000 questioned.

"MECH's power compared to the Autobots is unmatchable. These alien life forms have weapons we have never seen before and we need that type of power to move our plans further along. Ever since we encountered these Autobots, we have been learning of their technology and using it to our advantage. Operation 000 was one of these ideas. With a combination of multiple chemical compounds and a rare substance known to the Autobots as 'dark energon', we were able to replicate a substance called 000 which can enhance a human's physical strengths. Jack was a perfect candidate for our tests, even though he does not believe in our cause. We captured him and used him in Operation 000 in which he sadly passed away. Our second attempt was much more successful when we put you through the operation. You survived and that is why you are who you are now."

Agent 000 took a moment to take in all the information. Most of what Silas was telling him was true but he believed there was more to Jack than he was letting on. Agent 000 was not dumb and knew that Silas was lying about Jack's death. He decided to put it to the side as he would do some more research on his spare time.

"And what about me?" Agent 000 interrogated. "Who was I before I became Agent 000. I don't remember my name, my family, where I grew up, or where I lived. All I remember is waking up and becoming Agent 000."

Silas again thought for a moment before speaking. Now Agent 000 knew that what he was about to say was going to be a lie. "We have already spoken to you about this manner Agent 000. You were a MECH agent who was injured in the field. You never shared your private information with us and have always been loyal to the MECH cause. You're real name is Nicholas McLaren. Now Agent 000, if you will excuse me, I have business to attend to." Silas motioned to the door.

"Very well" was all Agent 000 said as he left the room. He did not get the answers he was looking for and he knew now that what he's been told about his past was a lie. Not wanting to give up, Agent 000 made his way towards the communication center. He now knew that he could not trust MECH and if they were smart, they shouldn't trust him either.

When he got to the communication center, he opened the door startling the three MECH technicians at the control panel. The room was quite large and had monitors for cameras, maps, and other things Agent 000 did not recognize.

"You three," he said to the MECH technicians, "take 5. I have things I must look in to that are classified."

The three MECH technicians looked at each other with doubt. Agent 000 noticed this and addressed them again.

"Are you doubting a superior's orders?" he said in a menacing tone. He knew very well that people feared him and he had established his superiority during missions.

"N-no, sir. We will leave right away." The middle technician said as they quickly left the communications center.

As soon as they left, Agent 000 locked the door and began digging through the MECH files. He scanned through the data base until he found what he was looking for.

"Jackson Darby" he read out loud. "Age: 16. Location: Jasper, Nevada. Relatives: June Darby; mother, unknown father; deceased. Status: Alive."

 _Very strange Silas. Why tell me Jack is dead when it says that he is alive on your data base?_ Agent 000 thought to himself before continuing.

"Jack has had multiple encounters with the Autobots which has led us to believe he works with them. He holds information about the Autobots including their alien technologies and their base of operations. He has been seen riding around with the blue motorcycle known as Arcee and claims that he bought, and owns a normal motorcycle. Arcee seems to act as a guardian to Jack; use caution when dealing with her. The capturing of Jack was part of Operation 000's Phase II, followed by Phase III which involved operating on him."

 _So, Jack played a crucial role in Operation 000. Also explains why the blue one, Arcee, begged for his location_.

Agent 000 finished reading about Jack and proceeded in searching for his own name.

"Agent 000: Succeeded product of Operation 000. Enhanced strength, speed, agility, reflexes, hand-eye coordination, and balance. Highly skilled in use of weapons and hand-to-hand combat. "

 _That's all you have on me? Something tells me you're hiding something._

Agent 000 proceeded in searching "Arcee" and read about her skills, weapons, relationships, and vitals.

"Autobots run on substance known as energon; the life blood of all Cybertronians and serves as their ammo as well. Energon signals can be tracked with use of highly concentrated energy scanners."

Agent 000 thought for a moment and quickly had an idea. He moved to the monitor tracking energon signals around the world and saw multiple blue dots scattered across the globe. He narrowed down the search to the town of Jasper, Nevada and saw a single blue dot, moving towards the outskirts of the town. Cross-referencing the data on Arcee revealed that it was her signal moving around.

Agent 000 quickly reset all the monitors and walked out of the communication center, heading for the vehicle area. He hopped into his Honda Civic and drove out, knowing exactly where to go.

...

Arcee sped towards the outer region of Jasper, driving through the town to the only place she knew where she could be alone. She needed to think and clear her mind. Recent events have made her emotionally unstable and she knew she had to fix that problem.

After a couple minutes of driving, Arcee arrived at her destination; the hill where Jack showed her the elegant night sky and the beauty of the desert. She transformed and took a seat in the grass, the exact spot where she sat the first time. Looking out, she stared at the stars and the beauty of the night time desert.

Everything was perfect, except for one thing. Something didn't feel right and Arcee knew exactly what it was.

"Oh Jack" she whispered to herself, she could feel tears starting to form in her optics. "I'm so sorry i couldn't save you."

She looked up at the full moon, wondering if Jack could see it as well.

"Jack" she yelled at the moon. She knew it was stupid but she hoped her voice would be carried by the wind to her human partner. "If you can hear me, know that I-I'm still going to fight. I-I'm going to find you and bring you home. I have to,,,"

She held her head in her hands and let it all out, her tears like a steady stream of love and sorrow. "I-I have to tell you how I feel." The two-wheeler cried out, more to herself than the moon. "You need to know, how much you mean to me Jack."

Arcee looked up at the moon and saw Jack's face smiling down at her. Of course it was only get imagination, but at that exact moment, it truly felt like it was him.

"I love you Jackson Darby!" she yelled out to the night sky.

She could only hope her partner had heard her as she continued to cry into her hands.

...

Agent 000 knew precisely where to find her.

Once he saw the signal, he knew she wouldn't move from the spot, so he quickly got into his car and drove there as fast as he could.

It was only an hour drive to her location but it felt more like a couple minutes.

He still didn't know exactly why he was doing this. Maybe he was feeling sorry for the female, or maybe he just doesn't have anything else to do. He knew he wasn't going to get more answers for his lifelong questions, but perhaps he could get some information from the other side. MECH was no longer as trustworthy as he thought they were, and Silas lying to his face proved it.

Nonetheless he was going, and neither MECH nor Silas was going to stop him.

Agent 000 got out of the car when he knew he was close enough for walking distance. While he was itching for another battle, his intentions at this moment were merely for talk so he'd rather not startle the female with the engine of his car. He also didn't want her radioing in for back-up or else things might get messy.

He slowly made his way up the hill, hearing a noise at the top similar to crying. He followed the sound to the person he was trying to find, the blue female crying into her hands.

Agent 000 moved over to the tall tree very quietly and couldn't help but look out to the starry sky. The night was so elegant and the gentle breeze made him feel warm inside, something very unusual for him.

He looked over at the one called 'Arcee', the female was still crying and mumbling about Jack.

 _They have a close relationship going_ , he thought to himself. _Must be nice getting close to someone else, knowing who you are in life and what you should be doing._

He stared out to the night sky and finally decided to announce his presence. He had left his katana and Desert Eagle back in his car so he was unarmed. He hoped it wouldn't come down to him having to rip off metal with his bare hands. He still wore his mask though; it just didn't feel right if he didn't have it.

"Hello Arcee"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

It was an elegant night out as Arcee sat on top of the hill Jack showed her about a week ago. She could see the starry sky glimmer down at her and the desert wind blowing past. It was a place where she could be alone, just her and her thoughts.

Arcee was too busy mourning for Jack that she didn't notice the man arrive and sneak around her. She couldn't think about anything else other than her human partner. Recently she realized that the feeling inside of her whenever he was around was love. At first she didn't believe herself, saying it was impossible for a Cybertronian to love a human. But sure enough, as time passed by and every minute, she grieved over the disappearance over her partner, she knew that Jack meant the world to her.

She loved him, with all her spark.

For a moment, her thoughts, memories, and emotions swarmed in her brain, like bees in a honeycomb. She could feel them and pick out anyone she wanted, she was truly deep inside of her mind.

Until she was disrupted by two words.

"Hello Arcee"

On instinct, Arcee quickly got up, activated her blasters and turned to her left. Leaning against the tree was Agent 000 wearing blue jeans along with a stylish brown sweater. Like before, his mask was covering his mouth and nose leaving his eyes that wandered the starry sky. Anger and desperation fled through Arcee as she aimed her blasters at the man's head. Agent 000 didn't even bother turning to look at her, either he didn't notice the blasters aimed or he didn't care.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't blast your head off right now" Arcee demanded, sill sniffling back tears from earlier.

"Relax female" Agent 000 responded, still leaning against the tree and gazing at the sky. "I'm not looking to fight anyone at this moment."

"Then why are you here?" the two-wheeler asked. She knew how dangerous Agent 000 can be and didn't want to take any chances. She saw him slice apart her friends, her family with no remorse. He's a monster with no heart.

"I am still asking myself that same question" the agent replied. He looked up at the moon and stared into the night's light. "After our last encounter, I started having many questions. Who are you? Who is Jack? But most importantly, who am I?"

Arcee stared at Agent 000 with disbelief. The person who tried to kill her mere hours ago is now standing next to her, talking as if this was a normal routine. She kept her blasters trailed on the man but did a quick scan to find that he was unarmed. Curious to see what he wants to say, she allowed him to continue.

"You see, I am a man of mystery. I do not remember my age, I do not remember my family, I do not even remember my own name. I woke up one day in an operation chair and was told that my alias is Agent 000. MECH told me I was once one of their soldiers, injured in battle and put in an operation called Operation 000; the injection of a MECH made chemical mixture that could possibly save my life. I believed them, and that was one of my mistakes."

"Never believe anything MECH says" Arcee stated, lowering her blasters. "They only care about themselves and will do anything to have their own way. Silas will even sacrifice his own soldiers to save his own skin."

Agent 000 nodded. "Silas, I had my suspicions the first time I met him. After the questions started to develop in my brain, I went to him for answers. I needed to know what my place in this universe is for. When I asked him these questions, he gave me untruthful answers." He clenched his hand into a tight fist. "It didn't take me too long to realize everything he was telling me was a lie. My back-story MECH told me was a lie, my personal information was a lie, even my name, Nicholas McLaren, is a lie."

Arcee took in what Agent 000 was telling her. He is a ruthless monster who doesn't know anything about himself. Everything he's been told has been a lie, just a way for MECH to use him. She looked at the agent and couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him.

"I asked him about your friend Jack" he continued, getting the attention of the two-wheeler. "He said MECH kidnapped him and put him through the same operation I went through; Operation 000. He was the first test subject and apparently didn't make it out alive. I didn't believe one second of Silas' garbage so I decided to look into it myself. I went into MECH's data base and found information on the kid along with the Autobots, including you. May I say you are quite the little warrior; two hidden forearm blades that are retractable, two level 2 blasters, and high levels of agility, speed, and stealth."

 _Is he... complimenting me?_ Arcee asked herself. She was now focused on what Agent 000 was saying and was wanted to see what he found on Jack.

"As for Jack, my suspicions were correct when I found his profile. The data base said he was still alive but didn't give the exact location. I have yet to scout the entire MECH facility and I know that there are many others so I cannot tell you where he is."

Agent 000's words brought hope to Arcee. Her Jack was still alive and the agent sincerely looked as though he was telling the truth. They still needed to find him, but knowing Jack was alive somewhere restored her hope and courage.

"C-could you look for him in the MECH facility?" Arcee asked, not knowing what the man might say to respond.

Agent 000 turned to look at her, his dark purple eyes showing no signs of emotion whatsoever. "I will continue searching for him but I doubt I will find him. I've seen the prison cells so Silas must be keeping him somewhere else." He turned back to look at the moon and continued.

"When I researched myself, I found almost no information. My entire existence is a big question of who I am. All I know about myself are my skills, and my liking for spilled blood. MECH has done nothing for me since I've awoken and haven't told me anything of great value so far."

"So why work for them?" Arcee asked.

"For the joy of killing" he responded coldly. "I will continue working for them while I investigate on my own, but in time, MECH will no longer be of use to me and will face my wrath. They will become an enemy to me, just like you Autobots are. I do not believe in peace and happiness, or anything passive. Improvement comes from battles, wars, losses, and I intend to follow my thoughts."

Suddenly he was interrupted by a small sound on the side of Arcee's ear. The two-wheeler put two fingers up to her com-link and answered the call.

"Arcee, come in Arcee" came Ratchet's voice from the other side.

"I'm here Ratchet" she responded. "What do you need?"

"Optimus requires you to come back to base immediately. We have made some findings and we plan on attacking the MECH base as soon as possible."

"Copy that Ratchet, I'll be there in a couple of minutes. Arcee out." She said as she ended the transmission.

She turned to face Agent 000 who was now looking at her.

"I suppose this is where we go our separate ways" he said blankly. "Know this female, you are still my enemy and this talk has not changed anything. When we meet again, I will not hesitate to slice you open from the inside out, along with your fellow Autobots. Best of luck in finding Jack, however if our paths cross, be prepared to die."

With that, Agent 000 walked away. Arcee stood there silently, processing what happened. Agent 000 is still an enemy, but perhaps he is not the ruthless killer he sought out to be. Inside, he is a lost soul, trying to find his way back. He knows nothing else other than killing and that is what makes him dangerous.

Arcee waited until he was gone before transforming and heading off to the Omega One base. Her courage and faith has been restored and now, she will do anything to find Jack and save him.

...

It has been approximately a day since the Autobots encountered Agent 000, the team has spent the last 24 hours recovering from their wounds and recharging their strength. Currently, they stand in the command center along with their human allies, going over their plan of attack for when they infiltrate the MECH base.

Everyone's strength and energy has returned and they are all ready to fight. Each of them having their own reason for running into this battle but all of them have theme goal; find and rescue Jack and stop MECH from creating their super soldier substance.

Arcee stood next to Optimus as he spoke to the Autobots. She had a serious look and was ready to fight. After her secret talk she had with Agent 000, the mourning and emotionally unstable was no more. She was ready to do anything in her power to battle MECH and save Jack; nothing was going to stop her.

Ratchet had noticed Arcee's change in attitude when she returned. Before Optimus told Arcee about their findings, the medic had mentioned her different attitude.

"For every loss, a person will become stronger" was all the Prime had said.

Also in the room was Bumblebee; the scout had awoken from stasis much to Raf's delight. Although he sustained major damage in their fight against Agent 000, Ratchet had patched him up and the young Autobot was itching for a rematch. Earlier, Optimus had given him the rundown of what they had discovered as well as a strategy to take out Agent 000. After hearing the plan, Bumblebee immediately agreed. He wanted revenge against Agent 000 and was planning on giving it to him.

"... and that his how we will attack" Optimus concluded. "While it is a simple strategy, we must be quick and be successful. Once we locate Jack, we will contact Agent Fowler for his strike team is ready for dispatch. We must be very cautious when moving around; I will not allow any one of us to go through what happened during our last battle. If you encounter Agent 000, contact Rafael immediately so that Bumblebee and Wheeljack will know when to come in."

Optimus looked at the group of Autobots and saw their looks of determination on their faces. Unlike last time, they're judgements were not clouded by anger and hatred. They know what must be done, and they planned on coming out successful.

"Be careful Bulkhead!" Miko yelled from the raised platform.

"Don't worry Miko," the wrecker replied, "I'll be fine."

"You too Bee" Raf said to his Autobot guardian. "I know you won't be fighting right away but you still have to watch out."

The scout responded with happy beeps while thrusting his hand in the air.

"Watch each other's back and be on guard at all times" Optimus commanded while activating his faceplate.

"Autobots, roll out!"

...

 **Author's note: Hey guys, I'm really excited for the ending of this story. I think I have 2 more chapters left so be sure to follow along if you haven't already. This chapter is a bit short so I'll try to upload the next one later tonight. Also, currently reviews on are down which means I can't see them. Nonetheless, you should still send me a review, just I won't see them until they fix the issue. Surprise me I guess. :P**

 **Other than that, hope your enjoying it and have a great day.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Sir, we got 2 energon signals that appeared near the same spot from last time."

The MECH technician looked up at Silas, waiting for a command.

"Mounting an attack already?" he asked no one in particular. "Alright Prime, what are you up to?"

"Sir their moving quickly towards our position, what should we do?" the MECH technician asked.

"They must be going for an all out assault. Tell all units to get ready for an attack. I want our tanks and choppers to be prepared immediately and ready to counter-attack the Autobots." Silas commanded.

The MECH leader walked out of the room and headed for the armory as alarms blared throughout the facility. He was curious to see what Optimus was planning and would join the units on the ground.

...

Optimus and Bulkhead drove forward, not knowing exactly what might be up ahead. They ground bridged to the same coordinates as before and were hoping MECH would pick up their signal so they would prepare for an attack on the south side. If all went smoothly, Arcee and Ratchet who ground bridged to the north of the base would be able to launch a surprise attack from behind enemy lines.

"Bulkhead," Optimus said to the HUV next to him, "while I do not condemn human harm, MECH has gone too far and must be stopped. When we arrive, I will allow them one chance to surrender. If they do not, and that is what I suspect, we must use all our power in stopping them."

Before Bulkhead could respond, gun fire was heard from behind them. They looked in their side windows and saw three MECH Humvees, each with a manned machine gun on top following them. The two Autobots manoeuvred around the gun fire with the Humvees closing in on them.

One of the machine guns managed to pelt Bulkhead's backside with a couple shots, shattering his rear window.

"That's it!" the wrecker roared. He put on his brakes, catching the Humvee behind him off guard leading the car to smash into the wrecker's back. Bulkhead transformed and grabbed the Humvee with one hand and threw it at another, both vehicles smashing into each other. He took out his blaster and shot the tires of the last Humvee, sending it off course and smashing into a tree.

Quickly, he transformed and followed Optimus to the front gate where they were greeted with the end of over a dozen tanks, aiming at them. Helicopters swarmed them in the air while other tanks and Humvees pulled up from the sides. MECH soldiers were stationed behind the vehicles, each with an armed weapon, ready to fire at any moment.

"Optimus Prime" Silas greeted while steeping forward. Agent 000 was next to him, back in his full black outfit along with his weapons of choice. "I didn't think you would return so soon after the beating you took from Agent 000."

Optimus and Bulkhead transformed before responding, arming their blasters. "We know what you have been up to Silas, mixing dark energon with other chemicals to create a super soldier substance. I will no longer tolerate your inhuman schemes. Surrender now or you will face the consequences."

Silas let out a sinister chuckle before giving out an order.

"Fire."

All of a sudden, every vehicle and MECH soldier opened fire on the two Autobots, forcing them to back up slightly. Agent 000 unsheathed his blade but was stopped by Silas' arm.

"Not yet" the MECH leader ordered. "Back up for now until I give you the signal." Agent 000 didn't like being ordered around but did what he was told, letting out a snarl to show his disproval.

The MECH army slowly advanced while Optimus and Bulkhead backed up slightly. While their bullets didn't hurt their armor, the occasional bullet would find its way between two armor pieces, hitting the weaker material underneath. The tanks and helicopters on the other hand were stronger than before and actually hurt them. Their missiles doing significant damage to their armor.

"Bulkhead! Return fire!" Optimus yelled while covering his head with his arm. The two Autobots started shooting back, each blaster fire either destroyed a tank or killed a group of soldiers.

Over time, Optimus and Bulkhead started to wear down. Their armor was covered in scorch marks and s bit of energon leaked from areas where bullets penetrated their under armor. Unfortunately for them, they were in an open area with not many structures that can provide cover.

"Come on, come on, come on. Where are they?" Bulkhead yelled, frustrated that they were getting pinned down by MECH. A tank missile whizzed by, hitting Bulkhead in the shoulder joint, dislocating his right arm.

"SCRAP!" he yelled, firing back with his left arm.

Suddenly, a group of soldiers screamed as they flew through the air and landed with a thud.

"Silas we're being attacked from behind!" yelled a soldier through the radio, right before he was blasted off his feet.

Sure enough, Arcee and Ratchet came charging from the north side, catching the MECH army off guard. The Autobot's plan worked as the two let loose a barrage of blaster fire, destroying a group of tanks and Humvees.

"Autobots, target their vehicles!" Optimus commanded, shooting two helicopters from behind. Optimus and Bulkhead moved forward, knowing that the MECH army had to deal with forces on both sides.

"We're being flanked!" Silas shouted into the radio. "All units on the right, target the Autobots on the north side! Don't let them regroup!"

The battle waged on, Optimus and Bulkhead struggling without cover. Meanwhile, Arcee and Ratchet stood behind two buildings, aiming at the oncoming MECH vehicles. Arcee noticed Bulkhead's right arm limp to the side and motioned to Ratchet.

"Optimus" Arcee said through her com-link, "we'll clear a path so you and Bulkhead can take cover behind the buildings. Ratchet can fix Bulk's arm as long as you can get clear."

A missile hit the wall where Arcee was hiding, almost taking off the side of her face. She shook it off and fired back. Her and Ratchet aimed to the left side, destroying a couple vehicles leaving an opening for Optimus and Bulkhead.

The two male Autobots saw the opening and took it, both of them breaking into a sprint as they run and gunned down MECH forces. They took cover against the building Ratchet was hiding behind, their bodies battled and bruised.

The medic scanned Bulkhead's shoulder as Optimus provided cover fire. "It is only a dislocated joint, I'm going to have to pop it back in place but it will hurt." Bulkhead gave him a nod and Ratchet proceeded in pushing the arm back in place. A couple grunts from Bulkhead told him to hurry up as he found the spot and popped it in. They turned just in time for a barrage of helicopter missiles to miss their heads, blasting the ground around them and throwing them off their feet.

"Arcee, did you find Jack in the facility?" Optimus asked as he rolled over to Arcee's cover, blowing up a group of tanks.

"No, I couldn't find him anywhere. He must be-"

Arcee was cut off when she saw over two dozen small black balls bounce over, landing near the middle of the four Autobots. Her eyes widened as she knew what might happen if they didn't get clear.

"GRENADES!" she screamed.

The Autobots saw where she was looking and quickly dove out of their cover, running towards the MECH army. They sustained heavy fire as they got closer, trying as best they could to dodge the hundred bullets and missiles. The grenades behind them exploded, destroying the nearby buildings and blowing up the tanks that were near.

Optimus did a quick scan of the area. MECH's army was now reduced to half their size while a few helicopters still flew around top. He quickly finished off the remaining flyers before he turned his blasters into swords, charging into the heat of the battle. The others saw Optimus' play and followed, activating their own melee weapons and proceeded in destroying the MECH vehicles in close-combat.

"Agent 000, I believe that the Autobots have had enough fun" Silas said through his radio as he watched his soldiers helplessly defend against the big robots. "Show them what real power looks like."

Agent 000 dashed from the shadows, heading straight for Arcee. Finally, it was his turn and he intended on making it count. Ever since his talk with Arcee, something felt different inside of him, he couldn't quite put a finger on it. He didn't like the feeling and thought it would only be fair to go after the one who probably caused it.

The two-wheeler had her back turned to him; she was busy dealing with a tank. Quick as a ninja, Agent 000 ran up to her and stabbed her in the back, the end of the katana showing on the other side, underneath her right breastplate. Her eyes widened in panic and by instinct, starting pawing at the extended blade.

"Nice to see you again, Arcee" he said calmly, sliding the blade out of her, earning a groan of pain when he did. He spun the female around and kicked her in the chest, making her go flying for a couple meters and landing on her back with a hard thud. Energon leaked from her wound but she didn't seem to notice. The two-wheeler narrowed her optics as Agent 000 casually walked over, spinning his sword in his hand.

"I told you, the next time we meet," he came around to her neck and raised his sword, "be prepared to die!" Agent 000 slammed his sword down on her neck, smirking while he did. What he didn't know was that Arcee had blocked his fatal blow with her blade and swung the other around, cutting his stomach. The agent was taken by surprise and stumbled backwards, only to regain his balance and laugh.

"Guess you still have some fight in you, huh female?" he mocked.

Arcee spat out some energon from her mouth before responding. "I still owe you for slashing me last time."

The two ran at each other and started to battle, speed and agility vs speed and agility. Agent 000 was quite surprised of how much of a challenge she started to be. Every swing would be paired and every kick would be blocked. While every so often, he would get a nice slash in, it was nowhere near fatal.

After he jumped up, dodging a low sweep and cutting the leg as it came across, Agent 000 backed up a bit to catch his breath. He really didn't expect this much from the female and clearly his cockiness had gotten the better of him.

Meanwhile, the Autobots continued to rampage through the MECH army, destroying tanks left and right. Not before too long, very few vehicles remained functional as most of the ground soldiers had backed up to take better shots at the giant robots. While Optimus finished off another tank, he noticed Arcee and Agent 000 off to the side. He saw the hole inside Arcee's chest along with other cuts along her limbs and Agent 000's stomach wound. The two had separated giving him the perfect shot, sending a blast at the oblivious Agent 000.

His shot hit its target, catching the agent off guard and sending him crashing into a nearby tree. The agent slowly got up, checking his left side to see a huge burn where the blast made contact.

"Ratchet with me! Arcee may need some medical attention!" the Prime commanded, heading for Arcee. As soon as the two-wheeler saw them coming, she collapsed to the ground, holding her chest wound. Ratchet changed his hand into a blowtorch and proceeded in welding Arcee's wound up.

"Optimus, I will need a couple minutes while I fix the damage" he said to the Autobot leader. "I would suggest calling for a groundbridge so we can deploy our counter-attack unit."

Optimus nodded as he put two fingers up to his com-link, all the while sending blaster fire towards Agent 000's direction, keeping him pinned down.

"Optimus to Omega One, do you copy?" he asked while letting off a couple more shots. "Deploy the counter-attack unit to my coordinates. Omega One, do you copy?" Optimus' optics slightly widened as he heard static from the other side. He turned to look at the medic while he welded Arcee's wound.

"Ratchet! MECH must have a disrupter nearby; I am unable to contact Omega One." He said. "We must destroy find the generator and destroy it immediately!" Optimus motioned for Bulkhead to come over. The green wrecker saw the hand gesture, jogging forward while limping slightly as Optimus provided cover fire.

When Bulkhead arrived, the group got into a semi-huddle, still firing at the MECH army to keep them back. Ratchet had just finished up with Arcee and quickly did a scan of the area. "There is currently a disrupter somewhere in the facility blocking our attempts at making contact with Omega One" the medic explained. "After doing a scan of the area, the only possible placement is up there", he pointed to a building on the far side of the base, on the top was a device that looked similar to a small electrical transformer.

"Good finding old friend," Optimus said while taking some shots. "Autobots, you must take down that disrupter in order for our counter-attack unit to arrive. Move quickly for we must bring it down as soon as possible. I will keep Agent 000 busy for the time being." The Prime turned to face Agent 000 who has been quietly watching them from afar. Judging by his stance, he was merely waiting for the perfect time to strike.

"Be careful Optimus" Ratchet warned, "We cannot afford to have you go down like last time." With that, the medic turned around and ran for the transformer, Bulkhead and Arcee not too far behind.

Silas fired at them as they ran, not knowing exactly where they were going until he glanced at the direction they were headed.

"They're going after the disrupter!" he shouted to his army. "Agent 000 will take care of Optimus, stop those Autobots from advancing and protect the transformer!" Silas jumped into the passenger seat of a Humvee and followed the three Autobots with his army right behind him.

...

Back at the Autobot base, Wheeljack was bouncing on his toes while practising some swings with his swords. He clearly wanted to go and fight and didn't bother hiding it.

"Come on kid" he said to Raf who was operating the groundbridge controls, "it's been way too long for Agent 000 to not show up. I say open the groundbridge so Bee and I can go and scrap those MECH soldiers!"

"You need to relax Wheeljack" Raf replied, "Optimus hasn't given us the signal yet, so until then, just sit back and wait."

The wrecker grunted, showing his displeasure. "Of course I get put on the back-up squad" he mumbled to himself, "there better be some things left for me to scrap when I get there."

...

Agent 000 and Optimus had their blades drawn and strafed in a circle, each one waiting for the other to make the first move. Optimus knew well enough of what the agent could do and didn't want to rush into anything. He also knew that he needed to keep him busy until the others can take out the disrupter and call in reinforcements. Things were not looking too good for him; he still didn't have a strategy for combating Agent 000 and to make matters worse, his intentions were to distract while the agent's intentions were to kill.

On Agent 000's side, he was busy studying his opponent. Looking at Optimus' battled and bruised body, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself. The Prime was greatly damaged against his battle with the MECH army and he could even see sparks flying out of his left arm.

"Well, well, well. It looks like it's just you and me old man. You're in no condition to fight, nonetheless have a rematch against me. Do you really expect to defeat me? Last time we fought, I cut your arm off and severed your lower torso. You are truly pathetic if you believe you have a chance of walking out of this battle in one piece." Agent 000 was testing the Prime's nerves. Earlier, he had read about how serious Optimus is so just for fun, he decided to have a go. Much to his displeasure, it didn't appear to have an effect on him.

"Why? Why kill hundreds of innocent men and women? Why side with MECH and join their inhuman acts to gain power?" Optimus asked, ignoring the agent's earlier attempt of making him crack.

"Why? Because of the joy, because of the thrill of killing and seeing blood spill. Because of the feeling inside when you take a life! That, is why I kill and why I joined MECH. Like I told the female, MECH will one day run out of usefulness and when they do, I will be sure to pay them a visit. I intend to end Silas' life, but not before I end yours!"

Agent 000 charged at Optimus, his dark veins pulsing as he felt the energy course through him. He began by swinging at the Prime, aiming for his legs to bring them down. However, every one of his attempts would be blocked by Optimus' two blades that extend from his arms. The agent tried to run up on an arm and try to cut it off like last time, but was forced to jump off as Optimus' other blade swept along the arm.

Agent 000 attempted to jump and slice the lower torso again, but was kicked on the side while in mid-air. The force of the kick knocked him to the ground where he rolled for a bit before showing excellent gymnastic skills and landing on his feet, facing his opponent.

"I have to say Optimus, I enjoy battling with you" he laughed as he wiped away some blood that came out of his mouth. "Your high level of combat and the challenge you provide will make it all the more better when I cut off your head!"

With that, Agent 000 charged.

...

Arcee, Ratchet and Bulkhead ran through the facility grounds, dodging and weaving around buildings to avoid getting hit by the machine gun fire.

"There it is!" Ratchet yelled, pointing at a building on the left. "We must take a left up ahead, otherwise we'll be trapped in a dead end!"

The Autobots turned the corner and ran into the barrel of a dozen tanks that opened fire on the unsuspecting Autobots. They tried to block the oncoming missiles but from point blank range, there wasn't much they could do. All three of them were hit, sending them into the wall of a nearby building. They got up slowly, only to have machine gun fire rain down on them.

"Quick, we got to move!" Arcee commanded, leading the team down the path. They jumped and manoeuvred around more missiles while shooting back with their own blasters. All three of them were greatly damaged as sparks could be seen flying out of their chests and limbs.

The Autobots continued down the path, not knowing exactly where they were going, until they got their answer.

"Scrap!" Arcee cursed, looking up at the wall in front of her. It was a dead end and now, there was no way for them to escape as MECH forces closed down on them. The three walls around them kept them inside while MECH covered the only exit path.

"Arcee, go and destroy the disrupter and call base for back-up! Ratchet and I will deal with these clowns." Bulkhead said between blaster fire.

"Yes, I agree with Bulkhead. Arcee, you must hurry, otherwise Optimus may be in great danger" Ratchet complied.

The medic and the wrecker provided cover fire for Arcee who stood behind them, thinking about how lucky she is to have teammates like that. Quickly, using her speed and agile form, Arcee jumped from wall to wall, dodging missiles and making her way up the buildings. Once she reached the top, she started sprinting for the disrupter, leaping from roof to roof as she continued to dodge missiles.

The two-wheeler saw the disrupter's building in the distance, the space in between it and the closest building was bigger than the other ones. She picked up speed, ready to make the leap of faith.

She heard missiles aimed at her come from behind. Arcee didn't have much choice but jump, blades activated, ready to destroy the transformer in one swoop.

She jumped, heading straight for the disrupter. She could almost reach it, until a lucky missile flew by, hitting her in the stomach and launching her further in the air.

"No!" Arcee gasped, she wasn't going to land on the roof. Quickly, she changed her hand into a blaster and took three shots, all in mid-air before hitting the edge of a building and landing on the ground with a thud.

The two-wheeler looked up just in time to see her shots make contact; the first two hit the roof's platform but the last shot made direct contact with the disrupter, destroying it instantly.

The two-wheeler couldn't help but let out a happy laugh. She got up with a groan, her body ached and there was a hole in her stomach in which energon leaked from. Arcee forced herself up, knowing the fight was not over.

"Arcee to base, Optimus is fighting with Agent 000. Send the counter-attack unit to his coordinates immediately!" The second-in-command yelled into her com-link as she ran back to the location of Ratchet and Bulkhead. She heard blaster fire from that general direction so she knew they were still alive and fighting.

She could only hope the same was for Optimus.

...

Agent 000 and Optimus were in the heat of the battle, swords clashing against one another. They were covered in slice marks and their swords were stained with blood and energon. The two combatants were injured but it didn't seem like they were slowing down. However, Optimus was slowly starting to get over-whelmed by the agent's skill. He's been forced to back-up slightly and has now developed a defensive stance rather than an offensive one.

Agent 000 saw that he was wearing him down and took advantage of it. He took out his Desert Eagle and fired a round of shots at the Prime's face, forcing him to use one of his swords to block the bullets. The agent used the distraction to run forward and slice Optimus' leg, disabling it but not cutting it off. The Autobot leader fell to a knee, his optics widened slightly as Agent 000 was no longer in front of him. He tried to turn around but it was too late, the agent's katana came through his chest. If the blade was any closer to the middle, he would have struck Optimus' spark chamber. Instead, the sword was inserted slightly to the left; still causing an extreme amount of pain, but the Prime was lucky to be alive.

However, Agent 000 didn't just stop there. He dug his katana deeper in Optimus' body and started to turn it, causing the Autobot leader to groan in pain.

"How does it feel, Optimus, to have my blade strike you down not once, but twice!" the agent mocked. With inhuman strengths, he raised his sword, literally picking up Optimus. The Cybertronian was now lifted above Agent 000's head and in this position, he couldn't do anything to counter the agent's move.

Suddenly, Agent 000 whipped his sword forward, throwing the Prime in the air and hitting the side of a building. Optimus struggled to get up but his damaged leg was useless; he was at the agent's mercy. Unfortunately for Optimus, Agent 000 had no intention to stop his rampage. The man ran forward, and leaped in the air, punching Optimus in the faceplate so hard it shattered.

The Autobot leader fell to the side, only to feel himself being lifted up again. Sure enough, he looked down to see Agent 000 picking him up with his bare hands; one hand gripped his back plate while the other held onto his shoulder.

"What do you say Prime? Would you like a repeat performance?" the agent asked menacingly. Without waiting for a response, he tore Optimus' arm right off from his body, throwing it to the side. Agent 000 then proceeded in throwing him in the air as high as he could, watching the Autobot leader helplessly jet up through the sky, then fall to the ground.

Optimus' body was completely mangled up and he could barely lift himself off the ground. Energon poured from his wounds and all he could do was let out a couple grunts. He knew this was the end for him, although he never thought it would end like this; sliced, beaten, and ripped apart by an enhanced human. He wondered what the other Primes would say; maybe they would be disappointed in him and wouldn't think he deserves to possess the Matrix of Leadership. Nonetheless, he would get his answer soon enough as he knew he would be joining the All Spark in a few seconds. He closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable to happen.

Agent 000 watched the Prime struggle to get up, then accept defeat and close his eyes.

"How pathetic" he said to Optimus with a sneer. "Someone of your caliber should never give up, and you call yourself a leader."

"Very well" he said, casually making his way over to the downed Autobot. "If you truly accept defeat, I will end this."

Optimus attempted to respond but could only cough out energon; there was nothing left he could do. Agent 000 laughed at his futile attempt and continued.

All of a sudden, he heard the noise of multiple vehicles followed by gun fire. He turned around to see Arcee, Ratchet, and Bulkhead transform into their bipedal forms, all of them damaged and injured. Behind them pulled over the remaining MECH army, although it looked more of a large squadron. All that remained of the MECH army was about 50 soldiers, a dozen Humvees, about 2 tanks, and of course, the leader himself, Silas.

Arcee looked at the agent with a glare but then noticed the downed Optimus behind him. "Get away from him!" she yelled, aiming her blaster at Agent 000. She was about to fire but a missile struck her arm, making her grunt in pain.

"Very good work Agent 000" Silas complimented, also seeing the defeated Prime. "Finish him" he ordered.

Agent 000 turned and walked towards Optimus again. Knowing what will happen if he reaches their leader, the Autobots broke into a sprint. They tried to fire their blasters but they were either too injured or out of energon. A soon as they started to run, MECH started to aim at them, only to be stopped by Silas.

"No, allow Agent 000 to deal with them, we will watch" he commanded to his remaining forces. On the inside, he was furious; thousands of MECH soldiers had been killed today and all but a few vehicles have been destroyed. He wanted to see one of the Autobots die and he knew if anyone would do it, it would be Agent 000.

The agent walked up to the Prime's head and raised his sword, ready to finish him once and for all. He knew the others weren't going to have enough time to stop him so they were just going to have to cope with having front row seats to their leader's death.

"No!" Arcee screamed, pulling ahead of the other two Autobots, desperately trying to stop Agent 000 from killing Optimus.

It was too late.

Agent 000 brought down the blade...

Onto another sword that appeared out of nowhere.

The metal of his katana clanged against the metal of the mysterious sword, startling him and making him back up. The sword was inserted into the ground, creating a wall between Agent 000 and Optimus.

 _This looks really familiar, almost as if it were-_

Agent 000 didn't get to finish his thought as he had to jump out of the way of another sword, just barely breezing across his head. The agent looked at the direction of where the swords were flung and saw Wheeljack emerge from a swirling green vortex.

"So, you finally decided to join the party" Agent 000 stated.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world" Wheeljack quipped back. He looked and saw the others pulling Optimus out of the way and Arcee giving him a nod, telling him to start.

"While I would love to scrap you myself for ripping off my arm last time, I think my friend here would like to do that more that I do." Wheeljack moved out of the way and a large being jumped out from the groundbridge.

The person was encased in a blue tinted armor that encased his entire body and made him a couple feet taller than usual. Agent 000 looked into the little window near the top of the armor and just barely made out the figure inside. Sure enough, Bumblebee stood tall and proud, the Apex Armor giving him a much more bulky look and providing him with an indestructible shell.

"Ah, Bumblebee is it? I see you brought a new toy to play with. I'll be sure to destroy it after I rip out your heart and crush it in my hands!" Agent 000 threatened the scout.

Bumblebee replied with a series of angry beeps and stepped forward.

"I still don't understand you, but if it's a fight you want, I'll gladly give it to you" With that, Agent 000 charged.

Arcee, Bulkhead, and Wheeljack watched from the side while Ratchet did his best to heal Optimus' injuries. They were keeping their distance from the battle for they had rehearsed what will happen when the counter-attack unit arrived.

"You ready Jackie?" Bulkhead asked his fellow wrecker, looking down at a device in Wheeljack's hands that appeared to be a detonator.

"You know me Bulk," Wheeljack responded, hovering his finger over the detonator's button. "I'm always ready. We're just waiting for Bee to get into the right position."

They looked over to see Agent 000 take out his gun and let off a round of bullets aimed at the window, each one of them bouncing harmlessly off the glass like material.

Agent 000 put away his gun and ran forward with his sword, leaping into the air. Bumblebee didn't even bother trying to stop him; partially because the Apex Armor weighed him down but also because he knew the agent's katana would even make a scratch. Agent 000 fell towards Bumblebee's leg, attempting to slice it off just like last time. The problem was that this time, nothing happened at all. In fact, his blade didn't even go through the armor, only bouncing off and sending the agent towards the ground.

Agent 000 it the ground and rolled, just in time to dodge Bumblebee's fist as it came crashing down. He quickly got to his feet and scanned the armor, trying to find a weak point. The agent was slightly frustrated that none of his weapons were making an impact and that for once in his life, he didn't know what to do. He did another look over the armor when he noticed the glowing blue circle in the middle of the chest.

 _That must be important_ , he thought to himself. Using his enhanced speed, he hopped onto Bumblebee's fist, ran up the scout's forearm and jumped.

Wheeljack saw that Agent 000 had jumped for Bumblebee's chest and knew this was the best chance they had.

"Quick Bee, now!" he yelled.

The scout heard him and quickly looked at the agent in mid-air before turning around. Strapped to his back was over a dozen explosives, all rigged to blow with one press of a button. Agent 000 was still in mid-air when he saw them, his eyes widening as he realized what was going to happen. He couldn't do anything while in the air and he knew that the Autobots were expecting him to jump, and he just fell right into their trap.

Wheeljack pressed the button on the detonator.

The explosion rocked the earth, engulfing Agent 000 and Bumblebee in the blast and knocking everyone else off their feet. A ball of fire sprouted where the explosives went off and dust filled the air, making it impossible to see what the outcome was. Smoke arose above the dust cloud and all went quiet.

Slowly, the dust cloud started to disappear as the smoke parted with the wind. There was still a ball of fire from where the explosion happened but the edges of a giant crater could be seen.

After a short moment, a figure emerged from the flames. Sure enough, Bumblebee stepped out, still wearing the Apex Armor and not a single scratch on his body. The Autobots cheered as the scout walked over. Their plan had worked and like always, Optimus was correct; the Apex Armor was truly indestructible.

"Where's Agent 000" Arcee asked while giving Bumblebee a high-five.

"Are you serious Arcee?" Bulkhead replied, he pointed to the aftermath of the explosion. "Who could have survived that?"

Bumblebee cut in on the celebration, letting off a couple beeps and shaking his head.

"That's impossible Bumblebee, we saw him get blown up during the explosion" Ratchet responded.

The scout shook his head again and pointed in a direction The Autobots looked over and gasped when they saw what he was pointing at.

Sure enough, Agent 000 was on his knees, struggling to get onto his feet. Miraculously, he managed to hold onto his katana and was using it as a cane. His head was down as it looked like he was using all his energy to just stay alive. The agent's shirt and pants had been reduced to mere scraps of clothing. His entire body was burned and blood covered his entire skin while dripping onto the ground. Agent 000's left leg was in a strange position, probably broken from when he landed on the ground.

Everyone watched as he coughed out blood and pushed himself up, practically putting his entire weight on his katana just to stand. He let out a little laugh and looked up with a grin.

This time, the Autobots not only gasped but stood there, unable to process what they were seeing. Even Optimus, who had regained consciousness before the explosion, had wide eyes and a look of shock on his face.

Arcee had it the worst; she stumbled forward, not knowing whether she should be getting closer or father back. Her emotions were a huge mix of happiness, fear, horror, joy, sorrow, anger, and disbelief. She couldn't believe what she was seeing and tears started to come out of her optics.

The explosion had burned off Agent 000's mask and when he looked up, his true identity was revealed. Even with his haircut and the multiple cuts and bruises on his face, he was still very recognizable.

For Arcee, his identity was unmistakeable. His jaw line and cheek bones she's stared at multiple times, his nose that she couldn't help but find small yet cute, his mouth that smiled at her and made her feel accomplished.

"I-is it r-really you?" Arcee asked through her uncontrollable sobs.

"Jack?"

 **Author's note: Well that's the chapter. I know I said I would post it sooner but it turned out to be a lot of writing. I truly hope you enjoyed it nonetheless and the final chapter will be published tomorrow.**

 **Anyways, Agent 000 is Jack! How crazy is that? XD LOL Ok, in all honesty, it was pretty obvious, and even though I tried my best to make it seem like Agent 000 was his own character, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two together. Also, yes, I know that it was a bit cheesy but hey, I had fun writing it and I hope you guys had fun reading it.**

 **Be sure to check in tomorrow for the finale where things are explained and happy endings all around!... well mostly but more on that tomorrow ;P**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Agent 000 couldn't help but let out a laugh, the action causing him to spit out blood. He never thought he would see the day where he'd be outsmarted by his enemy and nearly killed. The explosion had done a number on him, probably because over a dozen explosives detonated at point blank range while he was in the air. His body was now covered in burn marks and so much blood that he didn't even know where it was coming from. It also didn't help that he already had a cut on his stomach from an earlier battle with Arcee and now, his left leg was probably broken in two. However, even through his pain and injuries, Agent 000 still found the strength to continue fighting.

"I have to say Autobots, you guys are full of surprises. That was an excellent strategy you just pulled off and if I had a hat, I'd be tipping it in your direction" he complimented, completely missing the looks of shock on their faces.

"I-impossible" Ratchet stammered.

The medic, along with everyone else, was more shocked at Agent 000's revealed identity than how he was able to survive the explosion. The blast had burned off the agent's mask, showing everyone his true identity. Now standing before them was a familiar face neither of them thought they would see, especially under these circumstances.

"A-are you seeing what I'm seeing Bulk?" Wheeljack asked his fellow wrecker.

"Yup" Bulkhead answered plainly.

The two of them stared in disbelief at Agent 000. They both seen plenty of things in their life time that would shock the mightiest of warriors, but nothing could compare to what they were looking at right now.

Optimus and Bumblebee were also frozen in place, none of them knowing what exactly to say or do. The only one who wasn't stationed in one spot was Arcee. The female had stumbled forward and was now practically crawling on her hands and knees; it looked like she was moving towards Agent 000 against her will. Tears started to drip from her optics as she got closer to the agent, getting a good look at the face she never thought she would see again.

"J-Jack? I-is it r-really you?" She stammered, still struggling to piece everything together.

Agent 000 gave her a look of confusion and disgust. "I've already told you female, I have not found your friend yet. Now if you don't move, you will be the first one to fall to my blade." After he finished, he punched her in the face, sending her flying back.

While all this was happening, Silas looked on along with the remaining MECH forces. He had recovered from the blast of the explosion and had noticed Agent 000's mask was no longer hiding his identity. The MECH leader smirked, he knew that it was only a matter of time before the Autobots found out about Agent 000 and he was interested in how this was going to play out.

Silas turned his attention back to the Autobots where Arcee had just recovered from the unexpected punch.

"Jack it's me, Arcee. Don't you remember me?" She asked Agent 000, a hint of sadness was heard in her voice as more tears fell from her optics.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Agent 000 replied with a snarl, although, he started to feel something weird inside of him. The same feeling he had when he first met the blue female, the feeling of someone trying to pry loose from their restraints.

"Ratchet, why doesn't Jack recognize Arcee?" Bulkhead questioned the medic.

"It looks as if Agent 000 is in control of Jack's body and does not realize who he really is" the medic stated.

"How is that possible? I do not believe MECH owns any means of using a cortical psychic patch" Optimus said.

"I am not entirely sure how Agent 000 managed to infiltrate Jack's mind unless..." Ratchet snapped his fingers and widened his optics as the pieces started to align in his mind.

"...unless Agent 000 was never a real organic specimen! If MECH truly did put Jack through an operation, there is a possibility that the substance they injected into him created a second persona, another being inside Jack's mind. While the science is very confusing and requires a high level of psychology to understand completely, my hypothesis may very well be the only logical explanation."

"So what you're telling me is Jack has become some sort of killer?" Wheeljack asked.

"No, no, no. Agent 000 is a second persona created by MECH that is now in control of Jack's body. If my hypothesis is correct, Jack's mind is still inside along with Agent 000's mind, both of them share one body but only one can keep control at once." Ratchet replied.

"Okay, so how do we pry Agent 000 out of Jack? Do we just scrap him until Jack returns?" Bulkhead questioned, smashing his fists together.

"I-I'm not entirely sure. However, I do know anything we do to Agent 000 will affect Jack as well. We cannot kill him, otherwise we kill Jack. Imagine a balancing scale; what you do to one side will affect the other" Ratchet explained.

"Huh, so I guess blowing Agent 000 wasn't the best idea" Wheeljack quipped followed by a series of sad beeps from Bumblebee.

"What has been done in the past should be forgotten. At the time, we were not aware of this new information so we cannot blame ourselves for what may have happened to Jack" Optimus insured the group. "Ratchet, is there any possible solutions for us to aid Jack in taking control over Agent 000?"

Ratchet thought for a moment before responding. "I believe the only way Jack can regain control over his body is by his own strength. Because he is most definitely locked inside of his self-conscious, there is nothing else we can do."

"If Jack's still in there, I'm going to get him out!" Arcee yelled at the medic.

Suddenly, they looked over to see Agent 000 stand up tall, no longer using his sword as a cane and instead pointing it right at them. He was slightly wincing when he put pressure on his broken leg but it was still incredible how he mustered up the strength to continue.

"Now that you had your fun, YOU'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!" he threatened and charged, running straight for the closest person who just so happened to be Arcee.

"Autobots stand down, we will not risk injuring our ally" Optimus commanded and deactivated his swords, everyone else followed.

Agent 000 saw them put away their weapons and was slightly startled at why they did. He stopped running and glared at them.

"COME ON! FIGHT ME YOU COWARDS! FIGHT ME!" the agent yelled, the feeling inside of him growing stronger.

"We shall not" Optimus stated.

"Jack you need to fight this!" Arcee cried out to Agent 000, "you're stronger than this; I know you can do it!"

"Break the little weasel's grasps kid, push through" Wheeljack quipped.

Agent 000 didn't understand who they were talking to. He turned around to look behind him if anyone was there but sure enough, there was no one. He turned back to the Autobots.

"Very well, if you don't draw your weapons, I'm just going to have to hurt you until you do!" The agent said.

He ran straight at Arcee, catching the female off guard and thrust his blade into her chest. He proceeded in lifting her up and throwing her to the ground a couple feet away. The agent ran over to the fallen female and lifted her up by the neck, tears still falling from her optics. He raised his sword to finish her, once and for all.

Silas came closer and saw that Agent 000 was about to finish off Arcee. "Yes! Do it! Kill them all!" he yelled.

"No! Jack you have to take control!" Bulkhead screamed.

"Jack, you've always been the stronger one out of all of us. You've always had my admiration and if you were a Cybertronian, you would have been an amazing wrecker" Wheeljack added.

The feeling inside of Agent 000 became stronger. He tried to bring his sword forward, but the feeling was holding him back.

"You have always shown great courage and strength in the direst of situations and although I don't show it, I respect you for your personality" Ratchet said quickly, unsure if Jack heard him at all, but if he is truly inside there, he needed to hear it.

Bumblebee let out a series of beeps, his eyes widened and he tried his best to make the agent understand him.

Agent 000 felt the feeling of restraints breaking inside of him. He wasn't sure what was going on inside of him. Suddenly, a wave of pain came into his head, like someone was trying to pry his mind out. He dropped Arcee and his katana, the blade digging into the ground. The agent dropped to his knees, grabbed his head with his hands and actually screamed from the pain and agony.

"Jack, ever since the day we met, I sensed something special inside of you. Your courage, bravery, and quick-thinking are a skill set not many beings in the universe have. You have the potential to be a Prime, and while you may be human, I believe that one day, the Matrix of Leadership will find its way into your hands." Optimus said, his words making Agent 000's pain and agony even worse.

Suddenly, Agent 000's screams started to fluctuate between a higher and lower register. Arcee stood up and looked at her human partner, ignoring the pain in her chest. She recognized the two voices; the lower one belonged to Agent 000 while the higher one belonged to the person she loved, Jack.

"Jack please, fight it" Arcee cried, she couldn't bare watch him suffer through the pain but she knew it was the only way he could take control. "Jack, fight for me! You are everything to me, my world, my universe, my life! Don't give up! I need you here with me Jack!"

Agent 000 had no idea of what was happening to him except the massive pain inside of his head. He felt his mind being ripped out as he tried to fight back and he felt himself lose control over his body.

The force inside of him grew stronger and Agent 000 knew it was only a matter of time before it took over. He used all his strength to push back but Arcee said something that gave the opposing force the final push.

"Jack! I love you! I love you with my entire spark!"

That was it, that was the final straw. Agent 000/Jack stopped screaming and fell on his hands and knees, breathing heavily as whomever it was tried to regain composure.

"Jack... is that you?" Arcee asked quietly, crawling up to the unknown person slowly.

Everyone held their breath, awaiting a response. Even Silas was bewildered at what just happened and waited to see what the outcome was.

All the Autobots gave a sigh of relief when they heard tears come from the hunched over body.

"Arcee... I-I'm sorry... I'm so sorry!" Jack cried, he looked up and saw his partner crawl over to him and give him a look of sorrow, relief, and love. Jack's dark purple eyes returned to his normal shade of black. His dark veins that ran through his body also returned to normal color as he shuddered with a flow of tears coming out of his eyes.

Arcee looked at him and immediately a wave of warmth overcame her body. She grabbed her human partner and pulled him into a tight embrace, both of them crying tears of sorrow and joy.

"Jack, I love you. I love you so much Jackson Darby" Arcee confessed while tears still flowed down her face.

"I-I'm sorry Arcee, I'm sorry" Jack said again, crying into her arms.

"It's ok Jack." She soothed the teen, "I'm here, I'm here with you and I'm not leaving you. Not now, not ever."

The two held their loving embrace as their tears slowly started to disperse. The Cybertronian and the human stayed in the same position, enjoying each other's warmth and affection. Arcee felt all her anger and all her worries wash away, just wanting to spend the rest of her life holding Jack.

While they continued to hug each other, Optimus smiled, happy to see that they finally got Jack back. Not forgetting their other mission, he quickly put two fingers up to his com-link and contacted Agent Fowler to proceed with the strike team. A couple minutes later, half a dozen military fighter jets flew by, dropping a bomb each onto the MECH base and destroying everything in the area, the warmth of the blast flowing over the Autobot leader. Once the dust settled, he saw that the MECH base was no more but scraps of concrete and metal; everything that was once inside blown to smithereens.

As the fireworks ended, Arcee and Jack separated, although the female still kept the teen in her arms. She looked straight into Jack's eyes and smiled, earning a smile from Jack as well.

"Come on" she whispered gently as she began to stand up, "Let's get you home".

"NO!"

Startled, everyone looked over to where the voice came from. Sure enough, Silas stood, glaring at the former Agent 000 and continued to yell at him.

"THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! AGENT 000, I ORDER YOU TO KILL THEM ALL NOW! YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAN A MECH ASSET, A SUCCESFUL EXPIREMENT MECH COMPLETED! YOU DO NOT HAVE EMOTIONS; YOU ARE ONLY ONE OF OUR MANY WEAPONS! AGENT 000, YOU TAKE ORDERS FROM ME AND NOW, I ORDER YOU TO TAKE CONTROL OVER THIS BOY!" Silas yelled, showing his anger and frustration.

"Cool it Silas, its over" Wheeljack quipped at the MECH leader. "Your army has been defeated and your precious Agent 000 go-"

Wheeljack didn't get to finish his sentence as a sudden scream filled the air.

Jack cried out in pain and agony as he held his head, just like Agent 000 did mere minutes ago. Arcee quickly put him on the ground, startled at the sudden scream and widened her optics in fear.

"ARCEE... HELP... ME!" Jack yelled, shutting his eyes from the pain.

"Jack! Jack, I'm here! You have to fight him!" Arcee ushered her partner, tears starting to fall from her optics again. Everything was going so well until Silas tried to get Agent 000 back in control.

Arcee watched in horror as her partner struggled to take dominance, his screams echoing inside her head. There was nothing worse than to see someone she cared about be tortured right in front of her and not being able to do anything. The situation reminder her of Tailgate's death and her dream she had of Jack being tortured, both of the experiences left scars inside of her.

Unlike last time, Jack's screaming didn't last as long. Once they died down, Jack/Agent 000 put their head down, not revealing who had won the battle for control.

"Yes, very good Agent 000. Perhaps you are still of use to MECH's cause. Kill the Autobots and make it quick!" Silas ordered Agent 000, although, what he got as a response was something completely different.

Laughter came from the agent as he hunched over, starting as a little chuckle but turning into a more sinister, almost sarcastic laughter. He got up and stared at the MECH leader, his facial expression definitely not showing any signs of humor. His dark purple pupils and veins had returned and he gave Silas a death glare.

"I AM NOT ONE OF YOUR ASSETS SILAS!" he boomed, startling the MECH leader slightly. He started to chuckle again. "How could I have been so stupid? My background, my origin, my life's meaning, it's all coming together now. I was never a living person; I'm just the result of an injected substance into the human body. I could never find Jack because I am Jack, and _you_ Silas, are my creator."

"I-I am your creator! Now I command you to destroy these aliens now!" Silas stuttered, not quite sure how to respond to his creation that just found out about who he is.

The MECH leader's words caused Agent 000 to laugh again. "No, no, no. My dear Silas, you don't understand. If you created me..." the agent pulled out his gun and shot two soldiers before continuing. "...I think it's only fair that I _uncreate_ you!"

Silas' eyes widened when he learned of Agent 000's intentions. He quickly turned around and ran towards the former MECH base. He knew well enough that he had no chance against a heartless killer that is Agent 000 and his only way of surviving was to find a way to escape his grasps.

"Protect me!" he yelled at his army as he ran past them. Most of the soldiers looked at each other with a confused and disbelief look. At that moment; they realized they were nothing but Silas' pawns, expendable soldiers that he could easily replace. The MECH agents who understood their rank in Silas' grand scheme dropped their weapons walked out of the Agent's way, and put their hands up, surrendering to the Autobots.

Instantly, Silas' MECH army went from around 50 soldiers to a mere two dozen. The remaining soldiers sneered at their former teammates as they raised their weapons and aimed at Agent 000.

The ruthless killer saw Silas' attempt to get away and laughed. "You think your foot soldiers are going to stop me?" He took aim at Silas' running figure and shot one bullet. The projectile flew through the air before hitting the MECH leader in the legs, tripping him and disabling his leg. All at once, MECH started to fire upon Agent 000, only to have their shots dodged or blocked.

Agent 000 charged at the men. "Fools!" he yelled as he ran towards them.

"No! Stop! Jack you must take control over Agent 000!" Optimus yelled to no avail, it was too late and he knew a bloodshed was about to occur.

With inhuman speed, Agent 000 went from one soldier to another, slicing their bodies into pieces before moving on to the next. He shot his Desert Eagle at the few who tried to run away while brutally killing the ones who stayed to fight. Not before too long, the ground was covered in blood and bodies as the Autobots looked at the horror of Agent 000's work.

Silas lay a few feet away; he had given up on attempting to run on his injured leg and has resorted to crawling on his arms. Agent 000 merely walked up to him and sliced off the MECH leader's legs, earning a scream of pain.

"Stop! Jack stop him!" Arcee yelled as the Autobots ran forward.

Agent 000 ignored her and continued to lash out on Silas. He beat on the unarmed man and stabbed him multiple times. Silas struggled to hold on to life itself and spat out blood as he continued to take punishment from the agent. Eventually, Agent 000 stopped and picked the MECH leader up by his neck and placed him on his stumps that once were connected to his legs, pointing his katana at his neck.

"That is enough, Agent 000" Optimus said with authority but got no reply.

"Have any last words Silas?" Agent 000 said with a smirk.

Silas tried to say something but could only spit out a mouth full of blood.

"Pathetic" the agent said.

The Autobots watched in horror at what was to come. While each of secretly would love to see Silas pay for his crimes, they all followed the same code of honor; never strike down an enemy who cannot fight back.

Agent 000 stepped forward to end Silas' life but his arm froze in mid-air.

"What?" he asked himself, only to widen his eyes at what was happening.

 _No! Stop! Silas deserves what he's getting! Why don't you agree with what I'm doing? You want revenge as much as I do!_ Agent 000 said into his mind.

 _Not like this. I won't allow you to kill him_ , came Jack's voice.

Suddenly, the pain in Agent 000's head returned as he held his head and screamed. His screaming only lasted for a couple seconds before it died down and Jack took control. His eyes and vein color returning to normal and the teen stared at Silas.

"Do... it,...you... won't" Silas managed to spit out.

"You're right Silas, even though half of me is telling me I should, I won't sink to Agent 000's level" Jack sneered back.

Jack looked at Silas one more time before moving his katana away from the man's neck. Instead of finishing him, Jack hit Silas on the head with the butt-end of his Desert Eagle, knocking the MECH leader unconscious.

"Ironic isn't it Silas?" Jack said to the unmoving body. "This all started with you knocking me out but this all ends with me knocking you out."

Jack looked at his handy work for a moment before turning around and seeing the relief looks on all the Autobots faces and the loving look Arcee was giving him. He smiled and stepped forward a couple steps before collapsing to the ground. He had forgotten about his broken leg and the many cuts, bruises, burns, and injuries on his body. The thought of how he looked right now made him grunt in pain.

Optimus and Ratchet watched as Arcee, Wheeljack, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee ran towards their fallen comrade.

"He really is something special, Optimus." Ratchet said to the Prime, obviously talking about Jack.

"I agree, old friend. On this day, Jack has shown an incredible amount of strength in his choices as well as how much he has matured. I am impressed in his choice of allowing Silas to live, even after the amount of suffering he was put through. However, I still stand by my words; one day, Jack will be given the honor of a Prime and the Matrix of Leadership will belong to him."

Ratchet thought for a moment about what he was just told. He agreed with Optimus statement about Jack one day becoming a Prime, but he didn't feel comfortable about the fact that Jack would inherit the Matrix of Leadership. It wasn't that he didn't think Jack deserved such an honor, but rather that he knew that if Optimus was saying Jack will be given the Matrix of Leadership eventually, he was referring to when he dies. Ratchet chose to ignore his thoughts, although, they would still bother him in the future.

"Optimus, Jack will never have a normal life again, will he?" The medic asked, stating the obvious.

"No old friend, I do not believe so." Optimus replied. "However, that is an issue that we will address when the time is right. For now, we should be thankful for his safe return."

Ratchet nodded and walked over to check on Jack's injuries while Optimus stood back and contacted Agent Fowler for the government to pick-up the prisoners.

After he made the call, Optimus couldn't help but smile at the group of Autobots aiding Jack back to his feet. He was proud to call them his family; Cybertronian or human, the bond they shared will overcome the most horrific of events.

...

The swirling green vortex in the Omega One base made everyone anxious at the result of the mission. Raf, Miko, June and Agent Fowler stood waiting, emotions of happiness and fear washed over the four humans as they saw the Autobots walk through one by one.

First Optimus appeared, smiling at them as Ratchet followed close behind. Bumblebee walked through making Raf sigh in relief. Bulkhead and Wheeljack came next; Miko yelled their names and quickly snapped a picture. All of them were battered, bruised, injured, and covered in energon but they still proudly stood together as they waited for the last two members of Team Prime to arrive.

Arcee walked through the groundbridge, smiling and moved to the side. The four humans held their breath as they hoped the person they were thinking of would walk in.

Sure enough, Jack appeared, walking in slowly and using his katana as a cane. He was deep in thought and didn't notice the others looking at him until he heard them run towards him. He looked up and mustered up a sly smile as his mother wrapped him in a hug.

"Jack, I'm so glad you're home" June said, tears starting to fall from her eyes. "You had me worried that I would never see you again."

"It's okay mom, I'm here now." Jack replied, slightly wincing from the pain of his mom's hug as she was pressing hard on his wounds.

Once June released the hug, she backed up while smiling. The nurse was so happy to see her son that she didn't realise the blood that was now staining her shirt.

Miko and Raf walked up next, both of them smiling from ear to ear.

"Good to see that you're back, bro" Miko said as they wrapped Jack into a three way hug.

"What happened to you?" Raf asked when they separated, a little blood also staining the top of his shirt. The young genius had noticed Jack's injuries and was looking a bit concerned.

"It's fine Raf, I'll explain later" Jack said plainly, earning a nod from him.

June suddenly saw her son's mangled up leg and quickly pointed it out.

"Jack what happened to your leg? We need to take you to the emergencies right now!" The nurse exclaimed, only to have Jack shake his head as he started to limp towards a hallway on the left side.

"Mom, not right now. I need some time alone for a bit" Jack said blankly.

As he made his way to wherever he was going, he passed by Agent Fowler who gave him a salute.

"Good to have you back, son" the agent said.

Jack didn't respond and put his head down, not looking at Agent Fowler. He kept his head down as he slowly limped to a place where he could be alone and think for a bit.

Once he was gone, June looked up at Optimus with a concerned look.

"What happened to him?" she asked.

Optimus thought for a moment before answering. "Mrs. Darby, we have learned a number of things in our recent battle against MECH and I believe we should explain to you in detail after everyone has rested and treated from their injuries."

Ratchet nodded his head in agreement. "I agree Optimus. Bulkhead, Wheeljack, Bumblebee, I'll start to work on you three first."

The four Autobots walked into the medical bay, leaving their human allies, Optimus and Arcee in the command center.

"Okay but seriously, what's up with the injuries and the sword?" Miko asked, referring to Jack.

Optimus was about to answer, but Arcee beat him to it.

"Jack... has been through some tough times" the two-wheeler responded blankly. "Like Optimus said, we'll give you a full explanation once everyone is feeling better."

Miko crossed her arms and pouted. "Fine"

They all started towards the medical bay to check on everyone. As they left, Optimus looked at Arcee.

"Arcee, I understand Jack must be feeling overwhelmed by the recent events. Perhaps you can go and talk to him. I know your relationship has grown since the last time you two were together and I believe he can get through his struggle with your help"

"No problem, Optimus. I'll go talk to him" Arcee replied quietly and walked to the direction Jack went.

...

Jack sat on a couple crates in the storage room, deep in thought. In the past week, he's seen things he should not have seen and to make matters worse, he was technically the one who caused it. He knew that MECH and Agent 000 were to blame for the recent events that haunt him but he couldn't help but feel responsible.

He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't hear Arcee open the door and come in.

"Hey" the two-wheeler said to him, closing the door and taking a seat next to her partner.

"Hey" he responded.

The two sat in silence for a moment before Arcee spoke.

"So,... do you want to talk about it?" She asked gently, it broke her spark to see him like this and even though the intense things have passed over, it's the memories that make the deeper scars.

"I... I don't know what to say Arcee. I-I'm sorry." He said, looking into her big blue optics.

"Shhhhh" Arcee said, pulling him into a hug. "You don't need to apologize. None of this was your fault."

"How can you say that?" Jack asked, shocking her slightly. "I killed so many people, I've taken so many lives. I brutally injured the Autobots and I almost killed you a couple hours ago! And what makes it worse is that I stood by and watched it, unable to do anything. Half of me wanted to stop but the other half liked it, I liked the feeling of spilling blood and I liked hearing the screams of pain!"

"Oh come here" Arcee said pulling him in closer. "Listen to me Jack, you weren't responsible for any of that, ok? That was Agent 000 who was put into your mind. He's the reason all of those bad things happened and you have no reason to feel like it was your fault"

Jack didn't respond, instead he stared at the other wall.

"Look at me Jack." Arcee used one of her alloy fingers to move his head to face her. She stared into those eyes and saw the darkness that still resides in him. "Jack, everything I said out there, I meant it. When you were taken by MECH, my whole world crumbled. I spent days inside my quarters crying, hoping you weren't hurt... or worse. You're my world Jack; my everything. Without you, I have nothing left and I had a taste of what that feels like when you were gone."

Tears started to appear in her optics as they slowly dripped down her face and onto the ground.

"I love you Jack, I want to be with you. I love you!" Arcee cried, closing her eyes and letting the tears come out.

This time, it was Jack who comforted the two-wheeler.

"Arcee... look at me." Arcee opened her eyes and felt Jack's fingers wiping the tears off her face. "I'm not going anywhere Arcee, you're my everything too. When I was being operated on, you were all I could think about. When I saw you get injured from Agent 000's sword, it devastated me. You're the reason I was able to break away from my restraints and take control again. Arcee, you mean so much to me and I would love to be with you... But..."

Arcee finished his sentence off for him. "But we can't be together, I know. Your human, I'm Cybertronian, it wouldn't work. Plus-"

She was cut off by Jack's finger against her mouth. "Arcee, that's not the reason we can't be together. I don't care if we're different species, you're everything to me Arcee and nothing will change that. It's just right now, I'm not... me. Everything is going to be different and if we get into a relationship now, I fear it will end badly."

"Jack..." Arcee started. She loved him and wanted to be with him, nothing was going to stop her. "Whatever is bothering you, we'll get through it together. Your never alone Jack, you have the Autobots, your family, me. I love you Jack and our relationship shouldn't be affected by that."

Jack thought for a moment before responding. "You-you're right Arcee. I can't get over the darkness inside of me alone. I just want our relationship to be steady; I don't know what I'd do without you Arcee."

Arcee locked eyes with him as she pulled him closer. She heard the sincerity in his voice and knew he doubted himself because he was scared for her safety.

"I'm here Jack, and I'm not going anywhere. If you're worried about our relationship not working out, we'll take it slow."

Jack smiled at her words, he loved her and she loved him. Although, he still hasn't told her that he loved her and he felt the darkness inside of him stopping him. However, he wasn't going to ruin their connection because of a strange feeling inside of him, even if he won't tell her about his feelings.

"Thank you Arcee" He replied softly.

The two leaned in and kissed, the sensation filling them up as they enjoyed the warmth of each other's lips. Their first kiss; and it's an amazing one.

...

As they kissed, Jack felt something inside of him but chose to ignore it; the feeling getting stronger, but not too the point where it would hurt.

Arcee and Jack gently separated, slowly opening their eyes and happily staring at each other. Jack was mesmerized by Arcee's big optics and was suddenly startled when he heard a familiar voice inside him.

 _I am still here Jackson Darby, and one day, I'll be free once again_.

Agent 000's voice rang through his head as he quickly used his sub-conscious strength to push the agent deep inside of him, not allowing Agent 000 to bother him again... at least for now.

"Let's go get you checked up" Arcee said gently, breaking the silence and picking him up.

Jack merely nodded his head and smiled back. Although, he knew that wasn't the last time he would hear from Agent 000 and he also knew one day, the darkness would return.

And it will.

 **Author's note: That's the end of Transformers Prime: Operation 000. I want to thank everyone who has been following along and I hope you guys truly enjoyed it. I had a blast writing it and am excited to continue with my fanfiction series.**

 **I would like to give a special thanks to JayBeeZZ, Retrokiller, and PyroWM1. These guys have supported me all the way and have given me motivation when they post a review. Definitely go and check these guys out because their stories are amazing. I want to especially thank JayBeeZZ; this guy is a legend. He's sent me advice and even helped me get over writer's block. I have to give him some credit for his help on making this story possible.**

 **As for my Transformers Prime series, I'll be starting the next story in a couple days. I need some time to plan it out and hopefully, you guys will enjoy it as much as you enjoyed this one. Be sure to follow me if you haven't already so you'll get a notification for when it comes out.**

 **Thanks again for reading and remember to send me a review on your thoughts,**

 **Ilikepieguy123**


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